"Everything I'm saying is not false about Noah"- Grant Holloway opens up on throwing shade at Noah Lyles amidst popularity concerns

One controversy brewing in the track and field world is between world champions Grant Holloway and Noah Lyles. It all started when the latter announced his intentions to race the 4x400m relay in Paris, despite being a 100/200m specialist. USATF's decision to let Lyles run the third leg on the event's finals at the World Indoor Championships only served to add further fuel to the fire, with many, including Holloway, labeling it a questionable decision.

While the hurdling star initially stayed away from the discussion, last month he announced his intention to race the 4x100m for Team USA on X. A few days later, in an interview with NBC, he threw some shade at his compatriot, saying ‘we're putting people on relays who haven't run 400 since high school’, while referring to his tweet.

Later, Grant Holloway once again took to X, this time writing:

“Call a spade a spade, Noah Lyles sells tickets and Grant Holloway doesn't lol.”

Now in a press interview ahead of the Prefontaine Classic, the 110mH Olympic silver medalist further clarified his sentiments on Noah Lyles, calling the reigning 100m and 200m world champion the face of USA Track and Field.

“Noah Lyles sells tickets, Noah Lyles has a storyline, Noah Lyles is the fastest man in the world, Noah Lyles is the face of USA Track and Field. It's the truth, everything I'm saying is not false about Noah. I'm a hurdler, I have a (Olympic) silver and he has a bronze. But I think that we both have lucky medals, we both have world titles, (he's) more so in the limelight, he does a sexy event,” Holloway said.

Holloway went on to add that he felt he was perfectly capable of doing what Lyles was doing but understood that the sprinter’s narrative was more exciting.

“I know what event I do and I think I'm fully capable of doing what Noah is doing but Noah Lyles has a storyline, he's trying to do something that's hast been done I think since the Tyson Gaye, Allyson Felix type of era, so they're going to push that and I don't have a problem with it,” he added.

Grant Holloway labels Noah Lyles’ inclusion in the 4x400m World Indoor Championships final ‘unfair’

In the same pre-race press interview, Grant Holloway opened up on his thoughts on Noah Lyles being allowed to race the 4x400m final at the World Indoor Championships. Many people had criticized Lyles’ inclusion at such a crucial moment, alleging that the decision cost the team the gold.

Holloway himself called that decision unfair, saying that the way Team USA went about it wasn't right.

“It's unfair sometimes when you have athletes that run the 400, now obviously I know it's indoor so we don't have all Michael Normans, we don't have out Rai Benjamins. It's unfair the way that Team USA went about it cause they put all the protocols and everything in it,” he stated.

“I know obviously Noah probably said he wanted to do it, which I mean at the end of the day we were able to conquer a medal which is great, but I think when you say you have to run the 400 and you gotta be a part of that pool, I think it's just you know you gotta try stick to that storyline,” Holloway added.

Noah Lyles is yet to respond to any of Grant Holloway's shade. While the Olympic bronze medalist is usually quick to voice his opinion on any controversy, that hasn't been the case here so far.