Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) on the field before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Who really is the fastest man on the planet?
Seems like we’re about to find out, as Olympian Noah Lyles has agreed to race Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill.
These two do not like each other. After several public, online jabs at one another, both Hill and Lyles have confirmed to PEOPLE that they will race each other at some point this spring or summer before Lyles competes in the U.S. Championships in July.
The location is to be determined, but can we suggest the race happening on Netflix as part of the undercard of whoever Jake Paul will fight next?
Back in August, Hill initially said he could beat Lyles, the reigning gold medalist in the 100-meter dash, in a race. The trash-talking only increased after Lyles won his fourth straight 60-meter final last week and flashed a sign that read “Tyreek could never.”
“I think it speaks for itself,” Lyles told PEOPLE of the sign. “Everybody says that they’re gonna be the world’s fastest, but when it comes down to it, you gotta be the winner every time, each and every time, and every time I show up to the biggest moments, I win.”
Lyles is 27. He’s undeniably at the top of his game, especially after coming off of a tremendous performance at the Olympics where he was not even 100 percent due to being diagnosed with COVID-19.
Hill is 30 and will turn 31 in March, likely before this race happens. Any fan of the NFL will tell you what typically happens to wide receivers after they surpass the age of 30.
While Hill, who famously sports the “Cheetah” moniker online, is still considered one of the fastest players in the NFL, his body has had to absorb way more hits than Lyles has ever had to. There’s not a whole lot of tackling happening on the track.
If Hill somehow won this race, he’d have bragging rights for the rest of eternity. He’d be unhinged about it. To talk this much trash and then finally get a stab at racing an Olympic gold medalist is quite the opportunity—especially because most will expect the actual runner to win.
Regardless of who wins this race, it’ll be a fantastic spectacle. Perhaps after this one, they could put Lyles in football pads and a helmet. Eliminate variables. That would tell us who is really the fastest man on the planet.
