American Sprint Legends Explain Why Noah Lyles Would Never Beat Usain Bolt in a Footrace

American sprint icons and have opined why Noah Lyles never had a better top end speed than Usain Bolt.

Both sprinters further explained why Lyles would never beat his Jamaican counterpart  in a hypothetical 4 by 100m  anchor leg head-to-head match up.

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Bolt’s legacy

Usain Bolt’s . The Jamaican legend, with eight Olympic gold medals and multiple world records, redefined what was humanly possible on the track. 

His 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin stunned the world and remains untouched. Bolt’s average speed in that race—23.35 mph—further demonstrated his otherworldly ability.

He also set the world record in the 200 meters with a blistering 19.19 seconds, cementing his status as the greatest sprinter of all time. Since his retirement in 2017, many have tried to step into his shoes. Noah Lyles is arguably the only sprinter who’s come close.

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Lyles emerges as Bolt’s closest successor

Lyles burst onto the scene in 2017, just as Bolt was bidding farewell to the sport. He quickly made his mark by winning Diamond League races and capturing gold at the 2019 World Championships. He followed that up with a bronze in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and continued to climb.

In 2022, Lyles clocked an eye-popping 19.31 seconds in Eugene, making him the third-fastest man ever in that event. 

Then in 2023, he doubled up at the World Championships in Budapest, taking gold in both the 100m and 200m. He further stamped his dominance with a 9.79-second win in the 100m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Bolt v Lyles

Last year, Motion Athlete ran a simulation comparing Bolt and Lyles in both the 100m and 200m, using each sprinter’s personal bests. While Bolt comfortably won both races, Lyles appeared to close the gap in the final 50 meters.

The simulation suggested that Lyles may possess one of the best top-end speeds in history. However, Bolt’s superior start and unmatched curve running still gave him the upper hand, with Lyles finishing just 0.12 seconds behind.

Gatlin and Spearmon share their take

Now  Gatlin and Spearmon have added their voices to the debate. During an episode of the Podcast alongside Rodney Greene, the two weighed in on a hypothetical 4x100m relay matchup featuring all-time greats across generations—each anchored by either Lyles or Bolt.

Gatlin described how Bolt’s explosive speed would create separation during the anchor leg:

“I think Bolt would separate — kind of like how you were saying earlier, Rodney — how he pulled away and then Tyson (Gay) sort of moved with him. There was no real difference between them in terms of closing,” Gatlin said.

“Now, if you take Tyson out and insert Noah (Lyles), I think both Noah and Bolt’s top-end speed would separate from someone like Mo (Maurice Greene) or Carl (Lewis), and they’d just maintain that same motion all the way through.”

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Spearmon, a four time World Athletics Championships medalist, agreed.

«I don’t see Noah running down Usain, though. I love Noah, but I don’t see anybody catching Bolt.”

His comments were echoed by Rodney Greene, who chimed in with:

“Yeah, I don’t see anybody running him down either.”

While Noah Lyles is rewriting the modern sprinting narrative and asserting himself as a generational talent, sprinting royalty like Gatlin and Spearmon believe that Bolt still exists on a level of his own.