Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles may have ruffled some feathers in the basketball world with his infamous world champion remarks, but he has proven himself worthy of talking his talk after he came back from an early deficit in the men's 100-meter final to win the gold medal. Buoyed by that spirited performance, Lyles is now filled to the brim with confidence, as he's ready to take any and all comers with the upcoming men's 200-meter dash.
Speaking to reporters, Lyles sent a warning shot towards his competitors, saying that he'll be the one leaving them in the dust as he looks to add another gold medal to Team USA's tally.
“None of them is winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed,” Lyles said, via SportsCenter on X.
This will not be Noah Lyles' first rodeo in the 200-meter dash. He was one of the best participants in the competition in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as he nabbed the bronze medal in the event. Lyles came in third, losing out to Canada's Andre de Grasse and Team USA compatriot Kenneth Bednarek.
Lyles has only improved since his appearance in Tokyo back in 2021; he has won 17 straight major international events in the 200-meter dash, and he won his heat comfortably to advance to the semi-final in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He competed in the aforementioned heat with de Grasse, the man who claimed gold in the event in 2021, and beat him with relative ease.
Noah Lyles is known by many for his one infamous press-conference moment. But the world better take notice of him and his rising pedigree as one of the best sprinters on the planet as he looks to back up his talk.
Noah Lyles stands on business
Noah Lyles memorably said that the team that wins the NBA championship cannot call itself the world champion as they did not compete with teams from other nations. This sparked a furious pushback from some superstars of the sport, including Kevin Durant, as they look at the NBA as the peak of basketball competition, seeing as the best players in the world typically play stateside.
Lyles has not backtracked from his statements, which means he has conviction. While there are merits to the arguments from both sides, Lyles can rest easy knowing that he can consider himself a world champion in his field. Now, the only question for him is just how many golds will be take home with him when the curtains close on the 2024 Paris Olympics?
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