With six individual gold medals at the World Championships across the 200m and 100m, Noah Lyles has matched Usain Bolt’s legendary feat of winning consecutive gold medals at the Worlds. It wouldn’t be wrong to call him one of the sport’s greats. But has he truly stepped into the league of the all-time big boys yet? Coach Rob has a strategic roadmap that could cement his place among the sport’s all-time greats.

Talking about the 200m world champion, Coach Rob, on his YouTube channel, noted that the athlete has yet to reach true Hall of Famer status. He referenced the legendary Carl Lewis, saying, “Carl Lewis probably does have the number one spot, but I’m saying he feels like that. Because if we’re just going off the sprint goals at the Olympics, you’ve got the 100 and 200, let’s just put them on the same level for argument’s sake. You got one, two, three, three golds in the 100 and 200 at the Games that are on the books, right?”

Expanding on his thoughts, Coach Rob noted that Noah Lyles has already edged past Carl Lewis in terms of World Championship golds; Lewis claimed four, while Lyles boasts six, and that’s counting only individual events. However, when it comes to Olympic glory and amassing multiple medals on the grandest stage, Lyles still has some ground to cover before he can truly rival the legend. “So Noah has passed him on that piece, on the Worlds, but he’s still too behind on the Olympics. And the only time I care about the clock is when you are the active world record holder when you did it, and he was,” said Coach Rob.

If we consider the Olympics, Carl Lewis boasts an astounding nine gold medals across multiple events, including the long jump, 100m, 200m, and relays. In comparison, Noah Lyles has just a single Olympic gold, which he claimed at last year’s Paris Games in the 100m. The gap is enormous, and Coach Rob doesn’t shy away from pointing it out: “So for that reason, yeah, Carl was clearly ahead of you. I mean, could you catch him? He would need to sprint triple or something like that. If he can sprint triple in LA, then fine. Like now, I think that because it can’t be 2027, that ain’t going to count.”

A triple gold medal haul at LA 2028 could finally cement Noah Lyles among the greats, at least in the coach’s eyes. But the road won’t be easy. Kishane Thompson, Oblique Seville, and Kenny Bednarek are all stepping up, making the chase fierce. Still, the 200m world champion isn’t looking at them; his sights are set on one man: Usain Bolt.

Noah Lyles promises to surpass Usain Bolt after fourth 200m medal

After equalling Usain Bolt’s record of four consecutive 200m golds at the World Athletics Championships, Noah Lyles boldly promised the GOAT that he would surpass him within two years. “I can’t wait for 2027 to become the only man to win five 200m titles,” said Lyles in a discussion with the Guardian.  After facing mental health challenges that impacted his performance in Tokyo at the 2021 Olympics, Lyles achieved a victory that symbolized personal redemption and a triumphant return to form.

He further added, “I don’t have good memories from 2021. At that time, I was depressed, but this time I am energised. I love what I do and I am happy. I have the best support staff and the best crowd I could have ever asked for. My face is blasted everywhere over Tokyo. This is amazing and such a joyous moment, I am going to keep with me forever. Now I want to win the gold medal in the relay.”

Despite a season riddled with injuries and delays, the athlete secured 200m gold and 100m bronze at the World Championships. Now chasing Bolt’s streak of four consecutive medals and his legendary 19.19 record, he said, “I still have to talk to Coach B (Lance Brauman) about it, but I’d like to create the right opportunity to go after Bolt’s 19.19 world record.” With such ambitious goals, the question remains: can he make it happen next season?