"Biggest numbers since the Olympics"- Noah Lyles opens up on the impact of his rivalry with Christian Coleman

Noah Lyles recently spoke on his rivalry with fellow player Christian Coleman. The reigning 100m and 200m world champion shared that he was “elated” to learn that the competition between them was gaining unimaginable traction among fans across the country.

In the past, Lyles’s name has been placed next to several rival players like Michael Norman, Fred Kerley, Erriyon Knighton, Ferdinand Omanyala, and many others. However, his competitiveness with the 2019 world champion in 100m, Christian Coleman, has broken records in the last few indoor championships.

Six-time world champion Noah Lyles is currently one of the top-notch names in athletics ahead of the Paris Olympics. The 26-year-old won three gold medals at the 2023 world championships that soared his career to greater heights. Moreover, Lyles has openly shared his target to win four gold medals at the upcoming championships in July. His sheer confidence and drive to excel have got fans, media and spectators hawked at his actions.

oah Lyles recently joined a podcast interview with his coach Lance Brauman on LetsRun.com’s Track Talk. The sprinter reflected on his experiences and beliefs on various athletic affairs.

During the interview, Lyles was asked about his rivalry with American athlete Christian Coleman. He shared that their rivalry was “doing really well” in the media. Lyles said,

"I feel like this Christian and me rivalry has been long. It’s been one of the longest. Of course, there’s me and Michael Norman in the 200, but you know of course he has run it for. But this me and Christian rivalry has been doing really well." (19.27s)

He added that their face-off at the USATF Indoor Championships in the 60m race drew “biggest numbers since the Olympics” for broadcast channels.

“I mean I was talking to the NBC guys and they are telling me that this is some of the biggest numbers they’ve seen in the past, like since the Olympics," Lyles said.

"They said 2 million people watched Albuquerque just for the 60. And when I hear that, I get elated because now I’m like there’s something here we can capitalize on it, so," he added.

Noah Lyles defeated Christian Coleman at the national indoor championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center in February. He clocked an impressive 6.43s, running down his arch-rival by 0.01s.

However, a month later, Coleman outperformed Lyles’s at the World Indoor championship 2024 60m event. He won the gold medal by running a world-leading time of 6.41s, leaving behind Lyles at 6.44s.

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Noah Lyles: "Everybody has got me as their target now"

Noah Lyles at World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 - Day Two

Noah Lyles recently said that he was everyone's target after his 60m performances. The American said that he was planning on doing things no one had done before.

"After what I ran in the 60, I just focus on me now. Everybody’s got me as their target now because I’m the champ. Now I’m planning on doing things that nobody’s seen before. Ain’t no reason to look backwards. I’m only looking forward", Noah Lyles said.

The American currently ranks #3 in the men’s 200m world record list. He won the 60m event at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and USATF Indoor Championships before winning the silver in the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.