‘Show us’ – Noah Lyles challenged to ‘be great’ after making world record claim over brand new distance
Noah Lyles is not a man short on confidence. Last year, he told Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson that he could threaten the 400-meter world record if he ever stepped up in distance. Lyles has dominated in the 100m and 200mGetty South African Wayde van Niekerk’s time of 43.03 seconds at the 2016 Olympics is the mark to beat. Lyles’ personal best is 47.04 seconds — he set it in high school and has not competed over the distance since. He was keen to compete on the 4x400m relay team in Paris but ended up contracting coronavirus after winning 100m gold and didn’t run the relays after taking bronze in the 200m. “Jereem Richards – he is a 19.80 200m runner. And he decided that he was going to focus more on the 400m this year,” Lyles told the Nightcap podcast of his Trinidadian training partner. “He was in that (Olympic) final. He got fourth with 43.78. New national record. I believe it’s in the top 10 all-time fastest times. “My PR is 19.3 in the 200m. And I have some pretty good strength on me as well. I truly would like to take a shot at the world record if I decide to move to the 400m truly and give it my 100 percent for multiple years – yeah I’m going after the world record.” Lyles welcomed 400m specialist Vernon Norwood onto his Beyond The Records Podcast and the two-time Olympic relay champion laid down a challenge ahead of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in July. “He want to run the 4×4, you got to come out USA (Championships) and do the 400, show us that you want to get a spot on this 4×4 ‘cos you have a lot of people on their heels about this 4×4,” Norwood began. “Granted I’m all for you running the 4×4, like you getting the gold medal.” Norwood said he wouldn’t begrudge Lyles if he took his spot on the team — but only if the sprint sensation earned it. GettyLyles has tasted Olympic gold once[/caption] Vernon laid down a challenge to Lyles “I could never take Vernon’s spot,” insisted Lyles in a rare moment of humility. “You want to, at some point, run 400m at a world championship or Olympic Games, you want to run a 4×4 right?” Norwood pressed. “Yeah the thing is I don’t want to half-ass it. Like when I do commit to the 400 I don’t want to half-ass it,” Lyles explained. Lyles is yet to usurp Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt‘s 100m and 200m records of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds in his own events. He once pretended not to know who the eight-time Olympic gold medalist was — and drew a fiery response from the world’s fastest man. “I remember when he [Lyles] just came out and he said, ‘Usain Bolt who?’, I was like, ‘Bro, stop it,'” Bolt told ex-rival Justin Gatlin on the Ready, Set, Go podcast. “I normally don’t say anything, but I was like, ‘If you don’t know who Usain Bolt is you’re in the wrong sport.’ “So stop acting. Put some respect on my name. “Every time he talks he says he wants to break my record, so stop it. “He said he didn’t mean it like that, but I respect everybody and understand you’ve got to aim high and you want to break records. “But I would never disrespect anyone. These are the guys who set the platform for you to come down and add to it to be better. “I would never say anything bad about these guys before me because they’re the guys who really built the platform and then we add to it, make it greater and compete.”
Noah Lyles is not a man short on confidence.
Last year, he told Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson that he could threaten the 400-meter world record if he ever stepped up in distance.
South African Wayde van Niekerk’s time of 43.03 seconds at the 2016 Olympics is the mark to beat.
Lyles’ personal best is 47.04 seconds — he set it in high school and has not competed over the distance since.
He was keen to compete on the 4x400m relay team in Paris but ended up contracting coronavirus after winning 100m gold and didn’t run the relays after taking bronze in the 200m.
“Jereem Richards – he is a 19.80 200m runner. And he decided that he was going to focus more on the 400m this year,” Lyles told the Nightcap podcast of his Trinidadian training partner.
“He was in that (Olympic) final. He got fourth with 43.78. New national record. I believe it’s in the top 10 all-time fastest times.
“My PR is 19.3 in the 200m. And I have some pretty good strength on me as well. I truly would like to take a shot at the world record if I decide to move to the 400m truly and give it my 100 percent for multiple years – yeah I’m going after the world record.”
Lyles welcomed 400m specialist Vernon Norwood onto his Beyond The Records Podcast and the two-time Olympic relay champion laid down a challenge ahead of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in July.
“He want to run the 4×4, you got to come out USA (Championships) and do the 400, show us that you want to get a spot on this 4×4 ‘cos you have a lot of people on their heels about this 4×4,” Norwood began.
“Granted I’m all for you running the 4×4, like you getting the gold medal.”
Norwood said he wouldn’t begrudge Lyles if he took his spot on the team — but only if the sprint sensation earned it.
“I could never take Vernon’s spot,” insisted Lyles in a rare moment of humility.
“You want to, at some point, run 400m at a world championship or Olympic Games, you want to run a 4×4 right?” Norwood pressed.
“Yeah the thing is I don’t want to half-ass it. Like when I do commit to the 400 I don’t want to half-ass it,” Lyles explained.
Lyles is yet to usurp Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt‘s 100m and 200m records of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds in his own events.
He once pretended not to know who the eight-time Olympic gold medalist was — and drew a fiery response from the world’s fastest man.
“I remember when he [Lyles] just came out and he said, ‘Usain Bolt who?’, I was like, ‘Bro, stop it,'” Bolt told ex-rival Justin Gatlin on the Ready, Set, Go podcast.
“I normally don’t say anything, but I was like, ‘If you don’t know who Usain Bolt is you’re in the wrong sport.’
“So stop acting. Put some respect on my name.
“Every time he talks he says he wants to break my record, so stop it.
“He said he didn’t mean it like that, but I respect everybody and understand you’ve got to aim high and you want to break records.
“But I would never disrespect anyone. These are the guys who set the platform for you to come down and add to it to be better.
“I would never say anything bad about these guys before me because they’re the guys who really built the platform and then we add to it, make it greater and compete.”
