Noah Lyles on Racing Tyreek Hill: “This Is Going to Be a Mike Tyson-Jake Paul Type Event”

Noah Lyles won the ultimate track & field prize in 2024, the men’s 100m Olympic title, as he edged Kishane Thompson by five thousandths of a second in one of the most thrilling Olympic 100m finals ever.

After the Olympics, Lyles has taken advantage of some of the perks of being the world’s fastest man and has made headlines on the personal front by getting engaged to his girlfriend, Jamaican Olympic sprinter Junelle Bromfield.

The biggest news this offseason for Lyles was his engagement to Junelle Bromfield

Lyles has already turned his sights to the 2025 season as he has resumed training and streamed a recent training session in Las Vegas live on his YouTube channel.

Lyles was in Vegas for his agency’s (Global Athletics) media summit, where he spoke to LetsRun.com virtually. The full talk is being released here as special edition of the LetsRun.com Track Talk podcast on your favorite podcast app and is also available on YouTube.

Below are some highlights of the interview.

Tyreek Hill race getting closer to reality

Track & field aficionados may not want to admit it, but the most buzz surrounding Lyles post-Olympics has been the banter about a possible race versus Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who ran 20.14 for 200m as a high schooler (#4 in US high school history behind Erriyon Knighton, Lyles, and Roy Martin) and won a bronze medal at the World Junior championships in 2012.

When asked by LetsRun.com about a possible race against Hill, Lyles showed the idea has moved beyond the theoretical, saying, “It’s one of the things that I hope to be unveiling soon. I’ll just say the talks are going very well. And if this goes to the level that we want it to, this is going to be a Mike Tyson-Jake Paul type event.”

Lyles would definitely smoke Hill in a 100m, as his Olympic gold in Paris showed (Kevin Morris photo)

Last month, Ad Age reported Super Serious, an ad agency co-founded by actor Terry Crews, “will host the [Lyles-Hill] race in 2025.” Even if the race has not been finalized, Ad Age said Serious Serious is the “exclusive production partner” for Duael, which Ad Age said had signed Lyles for a “tournament-style event that will pin Olympic racers against each other.”

In his talk with LetsRun.com, Lyles revealed he was finding it difficult to raise the profile of the sport. He said, “I don’t think the sport wants to change, they’re very content where they are. And now I have to make the decision. Do I go off on my lonesome and do my thing and hope that maybe a few athletes come along or…do I just stay where it is and just say, ‘Hey, I’ll just rack up as many medals as possible’?”

Lyles then answered his own question, saying, “I think a lot of people already know the answer to that. I’m not going to stay where I am. I’m always going to try and push the envelope, but of course I got to keep the main thing, the main thing.”

Lyles on Grand Slam Track: “If a tree falls in the woods…did it make a sound?”

One entity that is trying to shake up track & field is Grand Slam Track, the new four-race series founded by Olympic legend Michael Johnson that is signing athletes to contracts and requiring them to run two events at each meet. The series is also offering mega prize money by track & field standards: $1.05 million per event group across the four meets. GST is offering $100,000 to the winner of each event group (two races) at each meet, which means top athletes could win up to $400,000 in prize money alone across the course of the season.

When asked about Grand Slam Track, Lyles made it known that while the GST money is very good for many runners and could make them less dependent on their traditional shoe contracts, the money alone is not enough to get Lyles on board with Grand Slam Track. Lyles is most interested in exposure, and GST has not yet announced a TV deal.

Lyles said, “[Grand Slam Track is] still in the same position [with me] as it has been all year. Until I see a TV sponsor, I can’t make a decision.” He added, “Being the Olympic champion, I’ve already come in with a lot of accolades and a lot of things where I don’t need monetary value, but I really need marketing value. And if a tree falls in the woods…did it make a sound?”

Lyles’ Focus in 2025 Will Be the 100 Meters: “Nobody cares about the 200”

Lyles after breaking the 200m American record at the 2022 World Championships (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images for World Athletics)

The traditional 2025 track season culminates with the World Championships in Tokyo, September 13-21. Lyles said he is not a fan of seasons that end later in the year, especially if the indoor season doesn’t shift as well. He called 2025 a “very weird season” and said he’ll adjust his training accordingly.

Lyles is excited that Worlds are in Japan, the birthplace of anime, a big hobby of his. He wants adidas to take advantage of his popularity. Regarding the signature shoe that Lyles has pined for, he said, “The talks are going well. It might take a little longer than I preferably want, but it is in the process.”

As to what event Lyles will focus on in Japan, the only thing missing on Lyles’ outdoor resume besides a world record is Olympic gold in his better event, the 200. When asked if he might prioritize 200 gold in 2025, as his Olympic quest was derailed in the 200 when he contacted COVID, Lyles shot that down.

“Nobody cares about the 200,” Lyles said. “I learned that very quickly after breaking the American record (in 2022) and losing to Mondo [Duplantis] for athlete of the year.”

Lyles pointed out he has unfinished business in the 200, but that unfinished business is at the Olympics, not Worlds.

“Everybody wants to know the fastest man in the world,” he said indicating his focus will be on the 100. “Not to say that I don’t want to win [the 200.] I’m not giving up anything. You’re still going to have to beat me,” Lyles said.

The fastest man in the world will be determined on September 14 in Tokyo.

Prior to that, we’re going to have to wait a little bit to find out what exactly is in store for Noah Lyles.

Full talk with Noah Lyles here on your favorite podcast app or here on youtube.