"If Noah Lyles breaks the world record, I'm not gonna be happy" - Usain Bolt reflects on American's WR claims ahead of Paris Olympics 2024

Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt, known for his world records, claimed in the upcoming Netflix documentary series 'Sprint' that he will not be happy if American world champion Noah Lyles breaks his world records at the Paris Olympics 2024. The declaration came after Lyles' assertions of breaking Bolt's records at the event.

Lyles, 26, is one of the most highly anticipated athletes expected to bring glory to the United States at the Paris Olympics happening this year in July. The anticipation was building ever since he claimed triple world championship titles in 2023, winning 100m and 200m golds and then anchoring the US team to victory in the 4x100m relay event.

With the aforementioned performance, the Florida-based runner joined the likes of Usain Bolt, Justin Gatlin, and others to claim two individual titles at a world championship event. Furthermore, Lyles is one of the rare athletes who has managed to surpass one of Bolt's world records.

In 2023, the American phenom went past Bolt's record of most wind-legal sub-20 second finishes in 200m. Lyles did it for the 35th time following his London Diamond League victory.

Additionally, Noah Lyles has expressed his certainty of breaking other Usain Bolt records on multiple occasions. Amid all these updates, Lyles appeared on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show on Tuesday where the two discussed the athlete's achievements and aspirations. In a particular segment, Jimmy Fallon showed a clip to the audience in which Bolt was talking about Lyles. He goes:

"Noah Lyles is a great athlete. He's full of energy, mentally he's very strong. He believes in himself, but if he break the world record, I'm not gonna be happy. Records are meant to be broken. I wish him all the best, but it's not gonna be easy. [5:21 onwards]"

The clip was taken from the upcoming series 'Sprint' based on the lives of track runners.

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When Usain Bolt praised Noah Lyles after meeting him in-person

Noah Lyles is constantly looked up to as one of the runners who could challenge Usain Bolt's records and take the sprinting legacy forward. Fans were anticipating an encounter between the two sprinting icons, and it finally happened during the 2023 Racers Grand Prix, where the two hugged each other while Bolt whispered to Lyles, saying (via Citius Mag):

"Keep your same attitude, bro. The sport needs that s***. We need personality."

The reigning world champion discussed the above conversation with Citius Mag and stated that it was nice meeting him. He said:

"I've created my own path. I created my own way. And even though it's similar, it's not the same. It was nice to go to Jamaica and have Usain Bolt come up to me and say, ‘hey, keep doing what you're doing because the sport needs it."