Back in March, Usain Bolt was asked a simple question: Who would you have liked to race against? His answer was electric—“I would definitely like to compete against Maurice Green, Ben Johnson. Let’s give Noah [Lyles] a spot too, just because I would love to race against him.” It was more than a passing nod. Bolt, the undisputed king of sprinting, had left the sport in 2017, long before Noah Lyles truly stepped into his prime. But today, the tides have turned. Noah now commands the track with a presence reminiscent of Bolt himself. And just like Bolt once chased legends, Lyles is now chasing Bolt.

Noah’s been vocal about it too, declaring his mission not just to win, but to dethrone the fastest man in history. And guess what? On May 17, at the Adidas Atlanta City Games in Piedmont Park, that mission entered a new chapter. Lyles will step onto the track for the men’s 150m, staring down a record that has stood untouched since 2009—Usain Bolt’s jaw-dropping 14.35 seconds.

There’s reason to believe. Last year, at the very same meet, Lyles blazed through the 150m in 14.41 seconds—matching the American record and coming just six-hundredths shy of Bolt’s world best. But that time didn’t officially count in all circles because of inconsistencies in track marking. Still, the clock doesn’t lie. Lyles was close. Very close.

Sports journalist Anderson Emerole broke it down in the latest episode of The Final Leg Track & Field podcast. “Noah Lyles last year also at the Adidas Atlanta City Games ran 14.41,” he recalled. “He’s only, what, six-tenths of a second away from actually breaking the world record.” That proximity is tantalizing. But speed, like time, is slippery. And 2025 hasn’t quite revealed the Noah Lyles many hoped to see—yet.

Emerole noted that while Lyles has indeed competed this season, it hasn’t been in his signature events. “The only problem is we haven’t seen much from Noah Lyles so far in 2025,” he said. “We did see him run the 4x100m down at Florida, and he also ran a 400 as well, his first ever 400.” That 400m was impressive—45.87, a personal best, and his first since high school. But let’s be honest: the 150m is a different beast. It demands lightning speed from the gun, peak acceleration, and perfect execution through the bend into the straightaway. And so far, Lyles has yet to test himself in a short outdoor sprint this season. In fact, his sole 400m outing at the Tom Jones Memorial saw him finish fifth. It raises the question: Can you break a world record in your first short sprint of the year?

Emerole is cautiously optimistic. “I’m not going to say that he’s going to be able to do that. Now he does have the talent and the capabilities to do so.” And that’s the thing about Lyles. He may not be predictable, but he’s always possible. Like Bolt once did, he believes in the power of preparation, patience, and progress. His motto? “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” However, last year, before the Paris Olympics, he made his mindset clear about breaking Bolt’s records. 

Quick update: Noah Lyles has pulled out from the adidas meet because of his injury. So, things are for other day now.

Noah Lyles explains things with full confidence 

Before boarding the flight to the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles didn’t just pack his spikes—he packed something far heavier: the weight of expectation. In a moment of raw honesty, Lyles laid bare the brutal truth of chasing greatness in the spotlight.

“The second most-popular, favourite hobby of humans, after watching somebody achieve greatness, is watching them fail,” he said. “People love to watch people fail. They just do. I don’t know why. It’s just if somebody says they want to do something great, someone’s right there next to say they can’t do it.” And yet, he doesn’t flinch. “I can give zero cares about what other people think. Because they don’t know me, they don’t know my story, they don’t know what I do, they don’t know how hard I work, how talented I am. But I know.” That self-belief isn’t arrogance—it’s armor. It’s what got him within a heartbeat of history in 2022, when he scorched the track in 19.31 seconds, coming agonizingly close to Usain Bolt’s iconic 200m world record of 19.19. And it’s what fuels every stride he takes, every target he sets, every record he dreams of shattering. Some see his confidence as cockiness. But the greatest of all time sees it for what it truly is—conviction.

“One thing I respect about Lyles,” Bolt told talkSPORT last year, “is his confidence.” Coming from the man who defined confidence on the track, that’s no small compliment. Lyles doesn’t just run for gold. He runs for legacy. For everyone who ever dared to believe in their own fire, even when the world wanted to watch them burn. Because greatness isn’t just about the clock. It’s about defying doubt. And that’s one race Noah Lyles is always ready to win.