Noah Lyles says there’s no Canada vs. USA relay rivalry

The world 100m and 200m champion, Noah Lyles, is talking the talk after winning his first World Athletics Relays gold medal, anchoring the Americans in the men’s 4x100m relay over Canada, who won silver.

In the mixed zone, Lyles was asked by a reporter whether he thought there was a budding rivalry between the American and Canadian teams (with Canada having beaten them two years ago on American soil at the 2022 World Championships). Lyles responded, “Canada who?”

“Rivalry between who? Who? Who?” Lyles yelled. “I mean, I wasn’t on the team last time, so. Every time I have been on the anchor [leg], we win. That’s all I got to say.”

The American 4x100m team burst out laughing at Lyles’s chirp at the Canadians. This marked the first relay matchup between Team USA and Canada since the Canadians won gold on American soil at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Let’s see who stands on business in Paris… 🇨🇦😤

Until then, here is the Men’s 4×100 Relay team’s World Championship performance winning 🥇on American soil. pic.twitter.com/xUTEx4LvoR

— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) May 6, 2024

The Americans came into the 2024 World Athletics Relays as the top-ranked team, coming off a world 4x100m title in Budapest last August. The Canadian 4x100m team did not reach the final, running the heats without their usual anchor, Andre De Grasse.

Team USA has not won Olympic gold in the men’s 4x100m since Sydney 2000. When asked whether Lyles felt any extra pressure, he claimed the U.S. would have taken the gold medal home if he had been on the relay team at the Tokyo Olympics. The Canadian men’s 4x100m relay team has won medals at the last two Olympic Games–silver at Tokyo 2020 and bronze at Rio 2016.

The Canadian team finished about a half a second back of the Americans, even with De Grasse running the third-fastest 100m relay split (8.96 seconds) in the men’s final, only behind U.S. sprinters Lyles (8.88) and Kenny Bednarek (8.95).