"I'm tired of the Noah Lyles slander" - Rai Benjamin backs the Olympian after Tyreek Hill claimed to beat him in a race after Paris Olympics win

Rai Benjamin, the 400m Olympic champion, extended support to Noah Lyles after he was defamed by the American football wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Benjamin won the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay titles in Paris, whereas Lyles earned the 100m win.

Rai Benjamin, 27, is the second fastest in history in the 400m hurdles. He won the silver in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics alongside the 4x400m relay gold. He upgraded his position at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning double gold in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay.

Days after his Paris Olympic stint, Rai Benjamin graced the Nightcap hot seat to back his fellow US track star, Noah Lyles. The 26-year-old 100m World and Olympic champion has been at the receiving end of NBA players since he questioned the 'World Champion' title awarded to them in the NBA Finals (2023).

Cut to 2024, Tyreek Hill, the Miami Dolphins wide receiver, addressed the bold claim of Lyles and confidently assured that he would beat the Olympian in the 100m.

"So, for him to, like, do that and say that we're not world champions of, like, our sport says, like, 'Come on, bro. Like, just speak on what you know about. I will beat Noah Lyles. I won't beat him by a lot, but I will beat Noah. And guess what? When I beat him, I'mma put on a COVID mask and let him know I mean business, because I do mean business," Hill said. (via the X post of Up and Adams)

In the Nightcap podcast, hosted by Shannon Sharpe, Rai Benjamin said he was tired of the 'Noah Lyles slander'', silencing Tyreek Hill's big claims of beating Lyles.

"I'm tired of the Noah Lyles slander. That's my guy. Tyreek you're not beating Noah in the 100 man. There's just no way in hell. You probably won't even beat the top collegiate guys."

Rai Benjamin backed Noah Lyles when he received shade from Quincy Hall

Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 15 - Source: Getty

Lyles was always vocal about participating in the 4x400m relay in Paris in quest of four Olympic gold medals. Though he scratched it out ahead of the Games, he received backlash from Quincy Hall after picking his picks for the 4x400m relay team.

Lyles chose Chris Bailey for the first leg, himself for the second, Michael Norman for the third and Rai Benjamin for the anchor leg.

"The only reason I wouldn’t use the current U.S. champion [Quincy Hall] 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," he said to CITIUS Mag)

Following this, fans, including Hall, slammed him for scratching the 400m reigning Olympic champion as a probable competitor. In his defense, Benjamin said that Lyles didn't state facts, rather was just opining.

"Noah is an outspoken individual. We know that, yall know that. He voiced an OPINION. It isn’t FACT. And subconsciously and consciously a lot of you are using him for clicks," he wrote in his X post.

Lyles was not part of the 4x100m relay team as he tested COVID-19 positive. After bagging the 100m gold, he won the 200m bronze behind Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek.