The long-awaited split times for Noah Lyles and iShowSpeed’s high-stakes 50m race from last November have finally come to light.
The matchup saw Lyles, the reigning 100m world champion and Olympic gold medalist, take on Twitch streamer and viral sensation iShowSpeed in a $100,000 sprint showdown. While the result appeared clear-cut on the surface, fresh analysis has revealed just how close the contest really was in the early stages.
Speed Surges Early, But Lyles Turns on the Jets
True to his name, Speed exploded off the blocks with a lightning-fast start, momentarily getting the jump on the seasoned sprinter. But it didn’t take long for Lyles to find another gear.
Around the 22-metre mark, the Olympic champion surged ahead, before easing up in the final strides with a playful high-step as he crossed the finish line.
Despite Speed’s protest, claiming the race was a draw and demanding a rematch, Lyles held firm, declining the offer and instead pledging the six-figure prize to charity.
Race Breakdown and Split Times
After months of speculation, one Reddit user, Brian Ong, took it upon himself to dissect the race frame by frame using multiple camera angles and comparison footage from Lyles’ Olympic performances.
Ong’s meticulous analysis estimated that Lyles clocked 5.87 seconds in the 50m dash, reaching a top speed of 24.31 mph. Speed, impressively, wasn’t far behind, clocking an estimated 5.94 seconds and a max velocity of 23.30 mph.
While Ong acknowledged the limitations of his video-based breakdown, he noted that Lyles appeared to underestimate his opponent at the start before kicking into overdrive midway through the sprint.
“Lyles hit an extra gear to catch Speed right around 22 metres,” Ong wrote.
Speed’s Sprinting Streak
Since his clash with Lyles, iShowSpeed has stayed active on the track. Ahead of the UEFA Champions League final, he raced former Liverpool defender and pundit Jamie Carragher. But his most notable showing came against viral fitness star Ashton Hall, a former American football running back.
In a surprising display of speed, Speed defeated Hall four times in a row, leaving no doubt about the results. Hall, a good sport, admitted his losses candidly:
“You win some, you lose some,” Hall said.
“Turns out bro beat me clearly four times… fair and square.”
As iShowSpeed continues to chase his Olympic dream, this latest data from his race against one of track’s modern greats suggests the popular streamer has more genuine speed than many gave him credit for.
