The reigning world champion, with multiple Olympic medals and six world titles to his name, has long ruled the track without a true threat in sight. But Jamaican sprint star Kishane Thompson has been hot on his heels for years. At the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles snatched gold by a razor-thin margin, just five-thousandths of a second, too close to call with the naked eye. And now, Thompson is hungry for revenge, and in his latest move, he’s fired a subtle shot straight at Lyles.

“Dipping isn’t really the key to winning a race. If you’re strong from 0 to 100 meters and can separate yourself from the pack, you don’t need to dip—simple as that,” said Kishane Thompson, taking a dig at Lyles earlier this year. Thompson and Lyles were neck-and-neck at the Paris Olympics, and at the finish line, Lyles dipped to win the gold in the 100m race. Thompson had to settle for silver. Now, the Jamaican is taking this rivalry further, looking to settle the score with the American.

And his advance is no joke. As of today, Thompson is the world’s fastest man this season, clocking 9.75 seconds and edging past his staunch rival Lyles, whose season best is 10.00 seconds. Many within the community believe that Lyles’ crown might be under some immense threat. And now, ahead of the looming clash at the Diamond League in Silesia on August 16, 2025, Thompson has taken a subtle dig at the American without naming him.

While having a conversation at a press conference in Budapest, Thompson stated, “To hear that I’m the world’s fastest man, it’s a joyful feeling. I think that some people brag about it more than I do. I’m not really a bragger; I just like to enjoy myself. Naturally, we, as athletes, our two biggest competitors are ourselves and injuries. So yeah, I’m healthy.” Well, unlike Kenny Bednarek, Thompson has a better head-to-head score against Lyles.

The Paris Olympics gold medalist has only one victory over Thompson, and now, the Jamaican is already edging past him on the global level.

Plus, Lyles has been battling injuries this season, casting doubts on his form. But despite that, he has continued competing.

Noah Lyles gets support from an analyst against Kishane Thompson’s faceoff

During a recent conversation on his YouTube channel, veteran analyst Anderson Emerole expressed his belief that this Diamond League season will be far more beneficial for Noah Lyles than for Kishane Thompson. “I think Noah. Noah. Noah. And I really do, because he hasn’t — like, he didn’t have a season yet, right? He was injured all year. So, him racing himself — not only is Noah going to be racing himself into shape, but he’s already kind of in shape. Like, I know we’re talking about the 100, but you don’t run 19.6 if you’re not in some good form,” explained Emerole.

He further added, “Yes, I know he ran 10 flat at the London Diamond League and whatever, but you know, he is in shape. He is ready. So now, as he gets more races, he’s going to get better and better. And the thing I think about Noah is that he does not have to be the fastest in the field — and I don’t think he ever will be the fastest in the field — but he knows how to control a race, where it’s almost like people respond to him rather than other people running their own race. They’re thinking about Noah as opposed to thinking about what they need to execute.”

In early 2025, Noah Lyles had to pull out of the Adidas Atlanta City Games scheduled for May after suffering an inflamed tendon in his ankle. His injury forced him out of training as well as competition for a month. But he came back, marking his presence at the USATF games. He clocked a 19.63 in the 200m race, but then he pulled out of the 100m semifinal, stating that he wanted to preserve his body after the ankle tendon injury from May.

And now, besides the injuries, he is facing his biggest challenge. Will he be able to get past him this time?