"Noah Lyles is more so about like chasing retired athletes" -Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green weigh in on American aiming for records set by Usain Bolt

Justin Gatlin recently shared his insights on Noah Lyles' aspirations, highlighting that the Paris Olympics gold medalist is driven by a desire to reach new heights of those who have come before him. Gatlin marked that Lyles is focused on chasing the records set by retired athletes, particularly by the legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

At the 2024 Paris Games, Lyles secured a gold medal in the 100m and a bronze medal in the 200m. The American athlete has never been shy of voicing his goals publicly. He proved his prospects at the last World Athletics Championships by bagging three gold medals.

Before the 2023 World Athletics Championships, he set his sights on breaking Bolt's 200m world record. In a recent episode of the Ready Set Go podcast by Gatlin and Rodney Green, they shed light on Lyles' commitment to achieving greatness.

“Noah is more so about like chasing retired athletes," Gatlin said. "And when I say retired athletes, and one of them is not retired, the retired athletes would be the top five, Usain Bolt, Asafa. He is looking to get the American record in the 100 and he is looking to try to get the world record in the 200."

He added:

"So if his concentration areas are in these two, he had a fair shot at it last year to try and see in both years what he can do and I think they can go back and find it where they can come back and try to be a triple crown champion again at the world championships." (14:30 onwards)

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How far is Noah Lyles' personal best to Usain Bolt's world records?

Gold medalist Noah Lyles, of the United States celebrates on the podium during a ceremony for the men's 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Saint-Denis in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

Noah Lyles recorded his personal best of 100m at the Paris Olympics, where he claimed the gold medal after a photo finish, recording a staggering time of 9.79 seconds.

Usain Bolt registered the world record in 2009 at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany. The Jamaican sprinter posted a remarkable 9.58 seconds to become the fastest man, a record that has been standing unbroken for a brief period.

The American sprinter, who won a bronze medal in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Games, recorded his personal best of 19.31 seconds at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Although he set a national record, Noah Lyles remains fairly far from Bolt's 19.19 seconds, set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships.