BREAKING NEWS: Noah Lyles Sets the Record Straight on Usain Bolt Question .giang

Noah Lyles has set the record straight after being labelled the ‘fastest man on earth’.

The US sprinter claimed Olympic gold in the 100m in Paris last summer in a personal best time of 9.79 seconds. Lyles couldn’t quit complete the sprint double, coming home third in the 200m in 19.70.

It later emerged he had tested positive for Covid prior to that race, which affected his performance. However, the Florida native, 27, is without doubt the current king of speed in the athletics world.

But he insists he cannot yet claim the mantel of Usain Bolt, the Olympic icon who still holds the world records in both the 100m and 200m, both set back in 2009. During an appearance on the Beyond the Records Podcast with Mr Beast, it was put to Lyles that he was the fastest man in the world.

“I’m the world’s fastest man [currently], you get it with the title of being the Olympic champion,” he said. “Technically, the world’s fastest man, and the fastest man alive, is Usain Bolt.”

Asked if he would ever be able to eclipse Bolt’s best times – 9.58 in the 100m and 19.19 in the 200m – Lyles replied: “I’m knocking on the door of the 200m [his best is 19.31]. If it was that easy, I’d have done it five years ago.

“I’m the fastest American to ever live, so I have the American record, like Rai [Benjamin, who joined him on the podcast] in the 400m hurdles, which is pretty cool. We’re just constantly getting closer to breaking world records.”

Lyles believes he has plenty of time left to beat Bolt’s landmark times as he addressed the longevity of a sprint star. He added: “They used to say it was around 30 [when a sprinter reaches their peak] but with technology now, it’s more like 35.

“But then you’ve got people like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce [who is 38 and still at the top of the sport]. I’ve just reached what they consider peak fitness. So 26 through 31/32 is what they consider to be peak.”