The long-brewing sprint rivalry between NFL superstar Tyreek Hill and Olympic champion Noah Lyles looks set to finally hit the track.
For months now, the Miami Dolphins wide receiver has claimed he could outpace Lyles, the reigning 100m gold medalist from the Paris Olympic Games, who boasts a personal best of 9.79 seconds.
On Thursday, Hill spoke to reporters during the Dolphins’ offseason training and reaffirmed his intent to race the Team USA sprinter.
During a media session, Hill announced he’s ramping up preparations and will travel to Los Angeles on June 13 for a trial race.
“I’m doing like a little trial race so I can get in shape for that. I’m looking forward to it,” Hill said.
Though the event appears to be part of Hill’s personal conditioning, questions linger about whether his participation aligns with his NFL contract. Track sprints pose less physical risk than contact drills, but muscle strains and sprint-related injuries still concern teams, especially involving top receivers.
When asked about the potential face-off, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel offered a lighthearted yet indifferent response.
“I have no idea, nor do I care,” McDaniel told CBS Sports.
“If people are competing and it’s helping their training — as long as he doesn’t train to be a sprinter and he’s running routes while he’s doing it, that’s cool.”
McDaniel made it clear his focus is firmly on football matters.
“Whether I’m going to stand and say whether I’ll allow something, I don’t even know where that stands nor did I know that it existed. We’ll cross that page. Right now, I’m focusing on practice and ensuring he aligns properly in formations before running routes or catching the ball.“
Despite the lukewarm reception from his coach, it seems unlikely the Dolphins will intervene to stop Hill from chasing his sprint ambitions.
Should the race happen, it would pit one of the NFL’s fastest men against the world’s quickest human over 100 meters, a contest fans from both sports have long fantasized about.
