Olympic sprint sensation Noah Lyles has announced the cancellation of his highly anticipated footrace against Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The potential speed showdown, which had captured the imagination of sports fans, is now off the table, with Lyles citing “personal reasons.”
Lyles, a multiple world and Olympic champion, confirmed the news while speaking at the Stagwell Global Sport Beach event in Cannes, France. He revealed that plans were well advanced for the unique event.
Planned Times Square Showdown Off
According to Lyles, the much-discussed sprint was scheduled to take place this upcoming weekend in a spectacular setting: New York City’s Times Square.
“We were very deep into creating the event,” Lyles told reporters. “In fact, it was supposed to happen this weekend. Unfortunately, there were some things, complications, personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass, but we were full on.”
He added, “We were going to shut down New York’s Times Square and everything, it was going to be a lot of fun.”
A Rivalry Fueled by Speed Claims
The origins of this potential clash trace back to Tyreek Hill, known for his blistering NFL speed, challenging Lyles to a race. The challenge gained traction after Lyles’ stellar performance, including winning Olympic gold in the 100 meters at the Paris Games last year.
Both athletes have engaged in significant back-and-forth online and through public gestures, creating a playful but competitive rivalry. This included Lyles flashing a “Tyreek Could Never” sign after winning the 60-meter indoor title in February, and Hill responding recently with a “Noah Could Never” sign after running a personal-best 10.15 seconds in a 100m preliminary race last Friday.
Hill, a former high school track standout, even trolled Lyles on social media platform X with a meme following the news of the cancellation.
Skepticism Surrounded the Event
Lyles also commented on the widespread doubt that the proposed race would ever become a reality, despite the deep level of planning.
“A lot of people didn’t believe it to be true,” Lyles stated. “They thought it was just, ‘Oh, this is just them talking online.’ The companies didn’t believe it’s real.”
Despite the cancellation due to unforeseen personal reasons, Lyles’ comments highlight just how close the world came to seeing the Olympic champion and the NFL’s “Cheetah” settle their speed debate on the streets of New York.
