World and Olympic champion sprinter Noah Lyles just got his sports fans’ blood pumping with some hot news. His much-anticipated matchup against Ty Hill is officially off the table. The event is currently scheduled to take place in Times Square, New York. This comes on the heels of Ty Hill’s challenge just days after Lyles was celebrating his win at last year’s Paris Games.
Lyles had earned his Olympic gold in the 100 meters at the Paris Games. He immediately entered into a friendly competition with Hill, his former high school classmate and two-time state track champion. The upcoming race was supposed to be a 50-yard dash, and it’s what had drawn all the anticipation and hype surrounding the event. Complications set in, forcing the event’s cancellation.
The feud between the two athletes erupted across social media. Ty Hill boasted a day later about his blinding speed after he clocked his personal-best time of 10.15 seconds in the 100-meter prelim last Friday in Sherman Oaks, California. Hill took an obvious shot at Lyles with his reply to the “dare.” He flashed a hand-painted sign reading, “Noah Could Never” that took social media by storm.
Even with all the good-natured trash talk, his excitement was mixed with real regret at the announcement’s cancellation. He admitted that even some from within the Foundation thought the event would be all sizzle and no steak, more speechfying than spectacular showdown.
“A lot of people didn’t believe it to be true. They thought it was just, ‘Oh, this is just them talking online,’” – Lyles
Lyles continued, giving more context to the situation — more personal matters and health issues just made it impossible for the race to be completed.
“Unfortunately, there were some things, complications, personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass, but we were full on. We were going to shut down New York’s Times Square and everything, it was going to be a lot of fun.” – Lyles
On Tuesday, Ty Hill took to X (formerly Twitter) to post this meme that officially trolled Lyles. This was only days after the announcement of the race’s cancellation. His light-hearted method truly encouraged supporters to get involved. It preserved the competitive spirit, even without an actual race to hold.
It is a rivalry that proves just how competitive track athletes are to the core. They are the best in the world at joking with fans on Twitter. Though the race never happened, it undeniably created buzz and build-up for what has a chance to become one of track’s most historic athletes’ legacies.
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