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Noah Lyles cancels his much-anticipated Times Square race with Tyreek Hill due to personal reasons, sparking mixed fan reactions online.
Reigning 100m and 200m World Champion Noah Lyles has made a shocking announcement: his much-hyped sprint clash with NFL star Tyreek Hill has been called off.
The race, which was scheduled to take place in the heart of New York’s Times Square this weekend, was poised to be a rare spectacle blending Olympic track excellence with gridiron speed.
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But Lyles confirmed the event will no longer go ahead, citing complications and personal reasons.
“We were very deep into creating the event… In fact, it was supposed to happen this weekend,” Lyles revealed in a recent statement.
“Unfortunately, there were some things, complications, and 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.”
The decision has disappointed fans who were eager to witness a race between the fastest man in the world and one of the NFL’s most explosive athletes.
The proposed 50-metre sprint was expected to draw global attention, especially after months of banter and competitive buildup between the two stars.
A Rivalry Fueled by Trash Talk
The feud between Lyles and Hill gained traction following Lyles’ stunning victory in the 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he clocked a blazing 9.79 seconds.
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Not long after, Hill — a two-time high school sprint champion and now a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins — publicly challenged Lyles to a race, triggering a storm of social media exchanges and fan speculation.
Lyles escalated the excitement in February by holding up a sign reading “Tyreek Could Never” after a 60m win, a gesture that many interpreted as a direct jab at Hill’s sprinting aspirations.
Hill, in turn, recently reignited the rivalry by running a respectable 10.15 seconds in a 100m race — and trolling Lyles following news of the canceled event.
He posted a meme of Lyles backing into a bush, captioned: “.@LylesNoah after seeing me run the 100m last weekend.”
Mixed Reactions from Fans Online
Hill’s post prompted swift reactions online. While some fans laughed along and suggested Lyles was ducking the challenge — “That boy got scared,” one user claimed — others came to the Olympian’s defense.
“He ran a 9.78 in the Olympics,” pointed out one supporter, while another added, “He’s disappearing because he realizes you should be competing against high schoolers, not Olympians.”
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Despite Hill’s athleticism, his 10.15 time remains significantly behind Lyles’ Olympic-winning performance, reinforcing many fans' belief that the matchup would have favored the reigning world champion.
Focus Shifts to Upcoming U.S. Championships
With the race now off the calendar, speculation has turned to Lyles’ next move on the track.
Several commenters have suggested that Lyles’ withdrawal may be linked to precautionary reasons ahead of the U.S. Championships, scheduled for August 2nd — a key event as he gears up for the World Athletics Finals.
“He must have tweaked something… the U.S. Championship is coming up August 2nd,” one fan noted, defending Lyles’ choice to prioritize his professional season over an exhibition race.
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