Why was the US 4x400m relay controversial? All about Noah Lyles' inclusion that bugged Fred Kerley, but earned Michael Johnson’s appreciation

On the final day of the World Indoor Championships, the US 4x400m relay team comprising Noah Lyles, Jacory Patterson, Matthew Boling, and Chris Bailey stormed to silver in Glasgow. However, the medal-winning team was the center of quite the controversy, with the crux of the issue being Lyles replacing Trevor Bassit.

As it happened, the USA came into the finals as the top qualifiers credit to Paul Dedewo, Bassit, Boling, and Bailey. The four sprinters clocked splits of 47.04s, 46.30s, 46.73s, and 45.49s, respectively.

However, for undisclosed reasons, the USATF decided to let the 100m and 200m world champion Noah Lyles run the third leg of the 4x400m finals in Glasgow.

While Lyles is typically a master of the shorter distances, last year in an interview with French magazine L'Équipe, he had expressed interest in running the 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics in a bid to win four gold medals.

The USATF seemingly allowed Lyles to test the waters for the longer distance in Glasgow, a decision that left fans divided. Some were certain that the 26-year-old cost the team the gold, while others were quick to point out that the outdoor world champion clocked 45.68s on his split, making him the fastest in the third leg.

Joining the discussion were former 4x400 relay world champion Fred Kerley and current world record holder in the event, Michael Johnson.

Kerley wasn't impressed by the USATF’s choice, accusing them of being “puppets and yes men.”

“@usatf y’all play that favoritism like mf. Yall like puppets. For sure yes man,” he wrote on X.

On the other hand, Johnson supported the decision to let Noah Lyles run in the finals.

“US putting Noah on the 4x400 relay makes sense. US indoor 400 team is weak. No finalist in the open 400. Noah has expressed a desire to run both relays in Paris. This is an opportunity for him to prove if he deserves it,” Johnson wrote.

Noah Lyles on running the 4x400m relay

Meanwhile, Noah Lyles wasn't fazed at all by Fred Kerley's criticism. In an interview with Citius Magazine post the race, the ace sprinter had only a line to say when asked about what he thought of Kerley's comments.

“I mean he could be here but he ain't so if you mad at that come on out,” he stated.

For Lyles, this marked his second silver at the World Indoor Championships. Earlier in the championship, the American fell short against compatriot Christian Coleman in the 60m sprint. However, Lyles' time in both the 60m and the 4x400m relay remains impressive, given that he doesn't specialize in either event.

On running the 4x400m, Lyles told Citius Magazine that he wanted to do his best for the team, given that he was the proverbial new guy.

“I wanted to make sure that I gave my best leg for these guys, cuz I know that I'm the new guy and I haven't shown any 4x4s as a professional, so I wanted to make sure that they knew that they could trust me,” he said.

The sprinter also said he wanted to use this race to show the team that he was fit enough to make the cut for the 4x400 at Paris as well.

‘I wanted to make sure that I could show everybody that I was fit, so if we get to Paris I believe that I'm in shape and sharp enough that I can actually be in the 4x4 finals,” Lyles explained.

With quite an impressive performance in Glasgow, it remains to be seen if Noah Lyles can make his dream of four golds a reality at the Paris Olympics.