Noah Lyles is closing in on Usain Bolt’s best times on the track but insists he isn’t ready to claim the title of the “fastest man on earth” just yet.
Lyles, who won Olympic gold in the 100m with a personal best of 9.79 seconds in Paris last summer, was unable to complete the sprint double, finishing third in the 200m with a time of 19.70 seconds. It was later revealed that Lyles had tested positive for Covid before the 200m race, which affected his performance.
Although Lyles is currently one of the fastest sprinters in the world, he still acknowledges that Bolt, who set world records in both the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19 seconds) in 2009, holds the title.
In a discussion on the Beyond the Records Podcast with Mr. Beast, Lyles was asked if he was the fastest man on the planet. He replied, “I’m the world’s fastest man [at the moment], you get it with the title of being the Olympic champion. Technically, the world’s fastest man, and the fastest man alive, is Usain Bolt.”
When asked if he could ever break Bolt’s personal bests, Lyles said, “I’m knocking on the door of the 200m [his best is 19.31]. If it was that easy, I’d have done it five years ago! I’m the fastest American to ever live, so I have the American record, like Rai [Benjamin, who joined him on the podcast] in the 400m hurdles, which is pretty cool. We’re just constantly getting closer to breaking world records.”
Lyles is confident that he has enough time to break Bolt’s records, as he discussed his career longevity. “They used to say it was around 30 [when a sprinter reaches their peak] but with technology now, it’s more like 35,” he explained. “And then you’ve got people like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce [who is 38 and still at the top of the sport]. I’ve just reached what they consider peak fitness for my age. So 26 through 31/32 is what they consider to be peak.”
With the possibility of competing in two more Olympic Games—Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032—Lyles is focused on continuing his progress toward breaking records.
