Home | The Scene

Noah Lyles vs. NFL’s Tyreek Hill race called off for personal reasons

The showdown between the "fastest player in the NFL" and the "world's fastest man" will have to wait

Published June 17, 2025
Noah Lyles

Nick Iwanyshyn

After years of back-and-forth trash talk, it looked like Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (often dubbed the NFL’s fastest player) was finally going to go up against Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles. A 60-metre showdown between the two stars was reportedly set to take place this weekend in New York City’s Times Square. But now, it’s off.

According to the New York Post, Lyles said he and Hill had agreed to race, but plans fell through at the last minute due to unspecified personal reasons.

Noah Lyles NBIGP
Noah Lyles holds up a “Tyreek could never” sign after winning the men’s 60m at the 2025 New Balance Grand Prix in Boston in February. Photo: CBC Sports

“We were very deep into creating the event,” said Lyles. “In fact, it was supposed to happen this weekend. But unfortunately, there were some complications and personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass. We were going to have a big event, shut down Times Square and everything. We were going to have all the billboards for the event. It was going to be a lot of fun.”

As a dress rehearsal for the challenge, Hill tested his speed at a local meet in California last Friday, where he clocked a wind-legal 10.15 seconds in the 100m—his fastest time ever over the distance. The result is impressive for someone who hasn’t raced a competitive 100m since college. Still, it’s far from the world-class level Lyles is at: the reigning Olympic champion ran a personal best of 9.79 to win gold in Paris last summer.

“I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles,” Hill said after the Paris 2024 Olympics. Despite pursuing a football career, Hill does have a competitive track background, representing Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, winning gold in the men’s 4x100m relay and bronze in the 200m, with a personal best of 20.54 seconds.

With NFL training camps on the horizon and Lyles preparing for the 2025 track and field season, it’s unclear when, or if, the race will be rescheduled.