A great vs. another great. On one end stands Justin Gatlin, a sprinting titan crowned Olympic 100 m champion in 2004, with a career total of one gold, two silvers, and two bronzes—and a record five world titles. Opposing him is Noah Lyles, America’s golden hope. He shattered a 20-year drought in the 100 m with a 9.79 s Olympic gold in Paris last year—the closest finish ever—and added bronze in the 200 m, despite battling COVID-19. Who would win this duel? Well, one great has put forth his view.

Seven months ago, on November 13, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green once again sat down for another episode of Ready Set Go. And in that very episode, Rodney shot a very interesting question at the track and field legend. He asked, “2015 Justin Gatlin against 2024 Noah Lyles.” Distance? 150 meters. Both top American athletes in their prime years, Rodney had brought up quite an interesting matchup. We, as fans, would have also loved a glimpse of this race for sure. Who would have won? Let’s hear from Gatlin himself.

“I’m winning.” Gatlin declared on the podcast. He said, “The numbers already show that I’m winning. I went 19.5 that year, and I ran five 9.7s that year under 9.79.” At the 2015 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Gatlin ran a landmark 19.57 seconds in the 200 m—his personal best and the fifth-fastest 200 m ever at that time. He posted a world-leading 9.74 seconds at the Doha Diamond League and in total, recorded five races that dipped under 9.79 seconds that year.

Noah’s best in 2024 was 9.79 seconds in the 100 m, achieved on August 4, 2024 at the 100m finals of Paris Olympics, and his top mark in the 200 m was 19.53 seconds, set on June 30, 2024 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene—an Olympic Trials record and the fastest 200 m worldwide that year. But still not equal to what Gatlin pulled off in 2015. But what if you replace the competition with 2022 Noah Lyles? Would Gatlin still win?

That was Rodney’s next question as well. He said, “All right, well, so you go with 2022 Noah, then that’s 19.3 Noah.” Gatlin replied, “I say like this, I would have h— on my hands. I ain’t going to lie, I’ll have h— on my hands.” Noah’s best in 2022 was an astonishing 19.31 seconds in the 200 m, achieved on July 21, 2022, at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene—where he smashed Michael Johnson’s long-standing American record of 19.32 s, defended his world title, and became the third-fastest man ever over the distance.

Gatlin also confessed, “It’ll be a great race. I’m flashback-ing right now thinking about when he came off that turn to run 19.3, and how he was moving. I was like, yeah, that’s different level moving right there.” In that race, he recorded 10.15 secs in the first 100m and then pulled away down the home straight to close out the race in 9.16 secs in the second 100m. But this was Noah Lyles of 2022, the man who made headlines through his performance. However, the same cannot be said for the 2025 season.

Noah Lyles isn’t what he used to be

Noah Lyles has had a busy and somewhat mixed 2025 season so far. He kicked things off indoors with strong performances: launching his year at the RADD Invitational in Gainesville with back‑to‑back 6.62 s wins in the 60 m, then winning the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston in a season‑best 6.52 s — his fourth straight title at that meet. After Boston, he cut short his indoor campaign, telling the media, “This is probably going to be my last indoor meet… there’s a lot more track to be run later in the season” as he shifted focus toward the outdoor season.

However, the outdoor season hasn’t been seamless. He was scheduled to open at the Atlanta City Games but withdrew, reportedly due to injury. He eventually made his outdoor debut on April 20 at the Tom Jones Invite, running the 400 m for the first time in nine years. Lyles clocked a personal best of 45.87 s, but finished fifth — a solid effort, but far from dominant.

Off the track, the high‑profile match-up against NFL star Tyreek Hill, sparked by Lyles’ playful “Tyreek could never” taunt, was canceled in mid‑June. Lyles added more fire to the controversy, citing “personal reasons” and logistical complications, including backing away from Times Square in NYC, disappointing fans who were eager to see the showdown. What do you think of the 27-year-old’s performance so far?