"Delusion at its finest";"This is why nobody likes him"-Fans react as Noah Lyles puts himself on 4x400m relay team ahead of U.S. champion Quincy Hall

Noah Lyles has faced heavy backlash after putting himself on the 4x400m relay team ahead of Quincy Hall, who recently became the ninth-fastest American over the 400m. Lyles has rarely run the distance but has expressed the desire to compete in the event at the Paris Olympics.

Lyles recently spoke with Track World News in a podcast on YouTube and was asked to make his 4x400m relay team. The world champion picked Chris Bailey as the starter, himself for the second leg, Michael Norman for the third, and Rai Benjamin for the anchor leg.

Explaining the omission of Quincy Hall from the team, Lyles said he didn't think the current U.S. champion would be a good starter.

“The only reason I wouldn’t use the current U.S. champion is because I don’t think he would be a starter. I feel like using him on the first leg would just be almost like a waste to his talent. I just don’t see him getting his full capability out of the first leg,” Lyles said.

Lyles faced criticism for his comments with several fans calling him ‘delusional’ for putting himself above a runner with a personal best of 43.80s. Lyles has a personal best of 47.04s from 2016 in the 400m.

"Delusion at its finest... Creating a USA 4x4 ... including himself over the US Champ who just ran a world leading 43.80.... what drugs are Bro on??" a fan wrote.

"Noah Lyles isn't even fast in the 400. Why would he put himself on it? It would be a travesty if he were included on the 4x4," another fan commented.

"Yeaa.. excluding Quincy who literally just beat everyone you named, twice, is crazy!" a user wrote.

Some fans also claimed that these kinds of statements were the reason Lyles was ‘hated’. The world champion recently claimed that he left the X platform after facing toxicity.

"This is why nobody likes him and people keep hate watching him, the most annoying athlete ever, I don’t blame him though I blame that statpadder Alyson Felix. She set the blueprint for him to follow," a fan wrote.

"This type of thing is one of the main reasons so many people hate Lyles. He has no humility or respect for others, even when they are his own teammates," another fan commented.

However, one user argued:

"Bro has run a 19.31 200m. There’s nothing delusional about him thinking he could scorch a 4x400 leg."

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Noah Lyles ran the third leg of the 4x400m relay for the USA at the World Athletics Indoor Championship 2024

2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 3 9 (Source:GETTY)

Noah Lyles has only run 400m once in his career, in 2016. He has competed in two 4x400m relays, one in 2023 and the other at the 2024 World Athletic Indoor Championships.

Lyles ran an impressive split of 45.68s, which marked the fastest third leg in the competition. The first and second legs were run by Jacory Patterson and Mathew Boling respectively. Lyles managed to hold on to the lead created by the two before handing the baton to Chris Bailey for the anchor leg.

Bailey was pipped by Alexander Doom in the final few meters, as the USA settled for a silver medal. It marked Noah Lyles' second silver of the championship, the first one coming in the 60m dash.