Tyreek Hill took his rivalry with track star Noah Lyles several steps further on Friday, throwing down a 100-meter dash time that had him at the front of the pack at the Last Chance Sprint Series.
The Miami Dolphins wide receiver recorded a new personal best of 10.15 seconds in his first 100-meter dash since 2014, the best mark of the 91 sprinters to run in the heats at Sherman Oaks, California.
Hill delivered a message immediately after the race: “Noah could never.” The two have said they plan to race at some point before the U.S. outdoor championships in July.
Let’s make one thing clear: Hill returning to track at 31 years old and throwing down a time that wouldn’t look out of place at the world championships is an outrageously impressive achievement and a strong reminder that all your favorite NFL players are simply mutants when compared to 99.9% of the population.
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For perspective, Hill would have qualified for the semifinals of the 100 meter dash at the 2024 Olympics if he had run 10.15 seconds in Paris (Nigeria’s Favour Ashe was the final qualifier with a time of 10.16 seconds). Hill did have a 1.2 mph of wind assistance in California, but there’s no denying it, Hill looked like an elite track runner on Friday. It is a credit to him that we’re even talking about him like this.
Unfortunately, Hill is not in a feud with an elite track runner. He is in a feud with the elite track runner.
Tyreek Hill’s time is slow by Noah Lyles’ standards
Hill said “Noah could never,” but the fact is that Lyles has, several times, for years.
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Lyles ran a 10.14 in 2015, 13 days after his 18th birthday. Lyles won the Olympics with a time of 9.79 seconds and won the 2023 world championships with a time of 9.83 seconds. He has not run a time slower than 10.15 seconds in an event on World Athletics’ ledger since April 2022.
A difference of a quarter of a second doesn’t sound like much, but it can separate a first- and last-place finish in an elite track event. And it takes an enormous amount of training and natural gifts to close the gap.
Granted, Hill might beat Lyles if they raced tomorrow, but that’s because Lyles is currently dealing with an ankle injury.
Tyreek Hill is one of the fastest men in the world. He still has to make up some ground to catch Noah Lyles. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
(Diamond Images via Getty Images)
None of that means Hill is incapable of beating Lyles in a future race. Track is all about training and Hill could still make up some ground there, and/or have a really a good day while Lyles has a bad day. It just needs to be said, Hill isn’t there yet.
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Hill probably knows that, because he told reporters last month he was planning to run a 10-flat on Friday. He also said he hopes to race Lyles soon and compete in the 2028 Olympics — as a track runner, not a flag football player — so this isn’t close to over.
It’s been an eventful offseason overall for Hill, who opened it by saying he wanted out of Miami after their season-ending loss. He later walked those comments back and apologized. There was also a domestic incident in April, in which his wife called police and said she feared for their daughter’s safety.