Recently, Hill, nicknamed "Cheetah," ramped up the rivalry by taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to directly challenge Lyles to a 50-yard dash.
"Sign the contract and lock in the 50-yard race," Hill posted, sharing a clip from Lyles' appearance on the Nightcap Show with Shannon Sharpe and former Miami Dolphins Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson.
In that interview, Lyles didn't hold back his thoughts on Hill.Sign the contract and lock in that 50 yard race …. https://t.co/b2I0QXojvU
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) August 18, 2024
"I'm going to be honest, I forget his name all the time. Hey, I'm just going to say it like this, Tyreek is just chasing clout. Anytime somebody fast comes up, he says he wants to race them. If he really wanted to race people, he would've showed up like D.K. Metcalf, and the man [Hill] raced in the 60-meters...in the master's division. This man dodges smoke. I don't have time for that," said Lyles.
Lyles was referring to Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf competing in the U.S. Track and Field championships back in 2021 where he came in 9th place — as well as Hill's 2023 participation in the 60-yard dash at the Track and Field Masters Indoor Championships.
The high-profile back-and-forth started with Hill's appearance on the Up & Adams show, when host Kay Adams brought up past comments suggesting that U.S. pro athletes who only competed in North America should not be considered "world champions." Hill snapped back by telling Adams that he would beat Lyles in a race.Great start for @Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) May 9, 2021
He ended up finishing his 100m heat in 9th with a time of 10.36.@usatf // #JourneyToGold pic.twitter.com/OSPrrMZFVe
The feud then heated up following an interview Lyles had with NBC Sports, where he played coy about even remembering Hill's name.6️⃣.7️⃣0️⃣ for Tyreek Hill! @cheetah won the men’s 60m at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships 💥#USATF pic.twitter.com/2DVWzoeOqe
— USATF (@usatf) March 11, 2023
"What's that guy — the 'Cheetah' guy from football? Well, I can't remember his name," Lyles said, before asking someone off-camera, "Mark, what's the football player who thinks he's fast name?" To which the off-camera Mark replied, "Tyreek Hill."
During the Nightcap Show appearance, Lyles confirmed that he is open to racing Hill, but only if the challenge is genuine.🎥 Noah Lyles doesn’t seem to know who Tyreek Hill is 👀
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) August 16, 2024
“What’s the cheetah guy from football? Well, I can’t remember his name.” (@NBCSports) #GoFins https://t.co/06nMApFKhr pic.twitter.com/COtOekXORf
"If he's challenging me to race in a 100, we can race," Lyles said. "If he's truly serious about it, I'm not talking about you just talking on the internet and you ain't actually coming to me and talking to my agent saying, 'Let's set something up.' If you are serious about it, you'll see me on the track."
When Lyles says Hill is all talk, he's possibly recalling those moments when Cheetah called out Metcalf and free-agent wide receiver Marquise Goodwin to race. And recently Hill was reportedly ready and willing to race YouTube star IShowSpeed.
As the exchange between the NFL speedster and the Olympic champion unfolds, it's clear both are not just competing for titles, but also for bragging rights in the fast lane. Whether this track showdown will happen remains to be seen, but we at New Times are eagerly watching as these elite athletes trade verbal jabs.
