Could Tyreek Hill really beat Noah Lyles in a race? Crunching the numbers after Dolphins star lays gauntlet down to Olympics 100m champion
Tyreek Hill is widely regarded as the fastest player in the NFL.
They don't call him 'Cheetah' for nothing.
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The blisteringly quick Miami Dolphins wide receiver is so fast, in fact, that he thinks he'd beat reigning 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles in a race.
During a recent appearance on Up & Adams, Super Bowl LIV champion Hill confidently told host Kay Adams, “I would beat Noah Lyles."
When Adams asked how close the race might be, Hill said, “I wouldn’t beat him by a lot.”
"But I would beat Noah Lyles,” Hill continued. "And guess what? When I beat him, I’m going to put on a COVID mask and let him know I mean business."
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The former Kansas City Chiefs wideout was referencing Lyles' performance in the 200m Olympic final last week, where the American won bronze.
The track and field superstar was seen wearing a mask before the race and it later emerged that he was suffering from COVID-19. After clinching third place in the sprint, he collapsed on the track inside the Stade de France and had to be escorted away in a wheelchair by medical staff.
Hill's bold claim caused a social media storm, with some people genuinely believing he'd beat a fit and healthy Lyles.
"Tyreek would actually smoke Noah in a 100M jokes aside...," one fan posted.
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"Yeah Tyreek Hill leaving Noah in the dust," added another.
"I definitely would watch this race and put money on the cheetah lol," a third said.
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But could he actually beat Lyles in a race?
There's no doubt Hill is lightning quick. He's a former track star at Coffee High School in Duluth, Georgia, and won both the 100m and 200m at the 2012 Georgia state meet as a junior.
Footage of Noah Lyles' insane speed during training session is going viral as he attempts to break Usain Bolt record
'Cheetah' also reached a top speed of 22.01 miles per hour during Week 5 last season, the highest speed of any player all year.
With that said, the numbers clearly back Lyles in a head-to-head footrace.
Lyles' gold-medal winning time in the 100m in Paris was 9.79 seconds. That beats Hill’s best 100m time by nearly half a second, and easily bests his wind-aided time of 9.98 seconds.
That may not sound like a lot but two tenths of a second in sprinting might as well be an age.
Noah's top speed in the 100m Paris final was 27.84 miles per hour - over five miles per hour quicker than Hill's top speed last year. Granted, it's not an entirely fair comparison as Lyles is running in a perfectly straight line wearing specific running shoes, but it gives an insight into how quick they can go.
One of 'Reek's best times in the 200m came in high school when he clocked 20.14 seconds.
Lyles’ bronze medal–winning 200m time in Paris --when he has was battling COVID-19 -- was 19.70 seconds.
His personal best in the 200m is 19.31 seconds. While Hill has undoubtedly got quicker since his high school days, there's no chance he's running the 200 anywhere close to that time.
So no, unless Lyles is seriously compromised, Hill is not beating him in a 100m or 200m race.
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Hill's gauntlet came amid him addressing Lyles' now infamous comments about the NBA champions being 'world champions'.
Last year Lyles sparked a huge debate after claiming NBA champions shouldn't be called 'world champions' because it's a league entirely made up of teams from the United States, and Canada (Toronto Raptors).
Winners of virtually every major American sport are known as 'world champions' due to them being the biggest leagues in the world -- in that particular sport -- with the best players.
However critics, including Lyles, said teams shouldn't call themselves 'world champions' unless they've played -- and beaten -- other nation's teams.
“You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” Lyles said. “World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S., at times, but that ain’t the world.”
Those comments have never really gone away, and six-time All Pro Hill brought them up again while questioning if Lyles was really even sick in the 200m final.
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“Noah Lyles can’t stay nothin’ after what just happened to him, you know what I’m saying?” Hill boasted. “Then he wants to come out and pretend like he’s sick? I feel like that’s horseradish.”
Hill continued, “For him to do that and say that we’re not world champions of our sport? Come on, brother. Just speak on what you know about. And that’s track.”
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