“Let’s see who stands on business in Paris”- Athletics Canada responds to Noah Lyles' 'who' comments about rivalry between US & Canada 4x100m teams

Noah Lyles is now embroiled in an internet back and forth with Athletics Canada after his comments on the rivalry between the US and Canadian 4x100m relay teams. While America has certainly been more dominant over the years, the Great White North has been making its presence felt on the global stage in recent times.

At the 2024 World Relays in the Bahamas, the US team consisting of Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey, and Kyree King, ran a world lead of 37.40 to finish atop the podium dominantly.

Nearly half a second behind them was the Canadian quartet of Brendon Rodney, Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, and Jerome Blake, clocking a 37.89 to settle for silver.

After the race, Noah Lyles was asked what he thought of the rivalry between America and Canada, to which the World Champion responded with ‘who’, making his feelings on the matter pretty clear.

Not one to step back, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Athletics Canada responded by posting a video of their team edging out the US for a gold in the 4x100m at the 2022 Eugene World Athletics Championships. They captioned the post,

“Let’s see who stands on business in Paris… 🇨🇦😤 Until then, here is the Men’s 4x100 Relay team’s World Championship performance winning gold on American soil.”

Noah Lyles reacts to his 8.88 anchor leg at the World Athletics Relays finals

Meanwhile, individually, Noah Lyles was untouchable at the recently concluded World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas. The reigning 100m and 200m World Champion was in action in both the heats and the finals, anchoring America to the wins both times.

On Saturday, for their heat, the US 4x100m relay team clocked a world lead of 39.49, with Lyles' split being marked at 8.95. Their time put them well over half a second ahead of second-place finishers Italy and got them a ticket to Paris.

America and Noah Lyles' display in the finals was even more thrilling. The team set a new world lead of 39.40, with the World Champion’s leg being clocked at an 8.88. This time was by far the fastest leg of the finals, with only three people other than the 26-year-old ducking under 9 seconds.

Reacting to his time, Lyles let fans know that there's more to look forward to. Taking to his X account, the American shared a breakdown of the results, with his time circled in black. He captioned the post,

“A preview for Paris.”

While there is no official list of the fastest 4x100m splits, Usain Bolt's electronically timed 8.65 seconds at the 2015 IAAF World Relays is the fastest registered anchor leg run in history. With Noah Lyles gearing up for the Paris Olympics, fans will be curious to see if the Tokyo bronze-medalist can touch the legendary Jamaican sprinter’s record.