Whelp that’s that. What was hyped to be one of the most electric footraces in sports this year will have to wait. The anticipated clash between Olympic champion Noah Lyles and NFL speedster Tyreek Hill is officially off, at least for now.
In case you missed it, Tyreek Hill recently jumped back into the track spotlight when he posted a blazing 10.15 seconds in the 100 meters at a meet in Florida. Despite not racing seriously since his college days, the Miami Dolphins receiver turned heads with his performance. However, Lyles is on another level altogether. The Olympic gold medalist recently clocked a scorching 9.79 seconds in Paris, showing that elite sprinting is its own world.
Fans were excited on social media about the possibility of these two blazing talents facing off in the heart of New York City. According to Lyles, the race was close to becoming a reality until unexpected obstacles brought things to a halt. In a recent chat with the New York Post, the world champion sprinter shared how far along the planning had gotten.
“We were deep into it. It was supposed to happen this weekend,” Lyles revealed. “We were going to shut down Times Square, fill it with billboards it was going to be huge.”
While Lyles didn’t get into all the specifics behind the cancellation, he mentioned that “personal reasons” and other unforeseen factors caused the race to collapse just before the finish line.
Hill has often played up the idea of racing Lyles, fueling excitement with confident talk about his speed and track history. The concept of seeing a gridiron phenom go toe to toe with an Olympic sprinter was a dream scenario for sports fans. However, the gap in experience, training, and execution appears to have made this battle more of a highlight reel fantasy than a genuine competition.