BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, February 02 — Was this track & field’s version of throwing down the gauntlet? Or was it simply free advertising by the sport’s biggest showman?
After winning his fourth straight 60 at the New Balance Indoor GP, Noah Lyles ripped his name bib off his back, flipped it over and held it in front of his face for the television cameras.
It read, “Tyreek Could Never.”
This was the latest salvo in the war of words between Lyles and Tyreek Hill, the Miami Dolphins wide receiver who proclaimed he could beat the Olympic and world champ.
Lyles begs to differ. He wrote the three words between the heats — when he clocked a season best 6.55 — and the final, where his 6.52 tied for fifth on the world list before a sellout crowd of about 4000 at the TRACK at New Balance.
“Tyreek could never win. Tyreek could never beat me. Tyreek could never hang,” Lyles said. “Hey, I just got to remind him. His season’s over. My season’s constantly going and I’ll make time for you, your schedule.”
What are the chances this projected match race could happen? “It’s pretty high,” said Lyles.
Hill’s response on X was an uninspired, “Get a load of this guy.”
Lyles expects the Boston race to be his last indoor meet. “I don’t really see a reason to keep going,” said the Paris gold medalist. “There’s a lot more track to be run later in the season.”
Lyles said he is “in talks” with Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam series. With byes for Worlds in the 100 and 200, he said Rai Benjamin “is trying to convince me to run the 400” at the U.S. Trials.
The Boston 60 was named for the late Ralph Mann, who was Lyles’ mechanics guru. After working with his foot and hip to “create a better and quicker start,” Lyles said, “I was able to put together a great start, a great acceleration and finish like Noah Lyles.”
First-year pro Terrence Jones was 2nd (6.57) and Pjai Austin 3rd (6.60).
Marcell Jacobs, the Tokyo Olympic 100 gold medalist, placed 4th in 6.63, edging ’16 world indoor champ Trayvon Bromell by 0.01.
Josh Hoey won a thrilling 1500 with a world-leading 3:33.66, tying for No. 5 on the U.S. all-time list — with Ethan Strand having run faster en route to his mile CR a day earlier at the Terrier Classic. Hoey held off double Olympic bronze…
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