Noah Lyles wasted no time in accepting Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill's challenge to a race. The Olympic gold medalist even dictated his conditions in order to make that challenge really happen.
Lyles and Hill have been trading jabs online for much of the past week after Hill challenged Lyles to a race last week. On Aug. 18, Hill officially threw down the gauntlet, writing on social media, "Sign the contract and lock in that 50-yard race."
Lyles has no problem going against Hill, but it's the length of the competition that's become a sticking point. Lyles won the gold for the 100 meters, but Hill is seemingly only willing to go half that distance, which is much more realistic for a football player to cover.
The Olympian shared his conditions for the race in an Aug. 21 interview with NBC News.
"If somebody wants to sponsor the event and we’re racing for millions of dollars and it’s on a track and we’re running 100 meters, then sure, we can race," he stated plainly. "But it has to be legit. I’m not here to do gimmicks. You’re racing against a guy who has worked his whole life to get the title of ‘the world’s fastest man’ and you’ve worked to be a great football player. You can’t just jump the line because you’re a great football player."
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Football players like Hill are more used to a 50-yard distance or the standard NFL 40-yard dash, but Lyles dug his heels in and insisted he would only do a 100-meter race against the Dolphins wide receiver.
"Again, I’m not here to do gimmicks," Lyles repeated. "You want to challenge me, 'the world’s fastest man,' if you want to challenge that, you have to challenge that in his event."
To this day, eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt is often called "the world's fastest man" as he still holds the world record for the 100 meters. Lyles had drawn distinctions between various titles including "world's fastest man" and "fastest man alive."
Time will tell if Lyles and Hill end up meeting on the track.