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‘”You should never dis the champion Nooo My name is Usain Bolt, I’m the Don Gorgon Yeah, yeah” 

—Usain Bolt

Noah Lyles said he would be a phenomenal force at the Olympics held in France this year.

He would all be anointed as the best the world has ever seen and would elevate the sprinting to levels never seen before.

Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt would be a distant memory and all would have to hail the new King, the United States would claim what it considered rightfully theirs.

Unsurprisingly, Jamaicans expect their athletes to dominate the sprint races, both in the men’s and women’s events. Anything less than medal positions is a disappointment. France has been a disappointment and questions are already being asked. Jamaica has medalled in every Olympic Games in the 4×100 women’s event since 1996, except for 2008. 

With Noah Lyles talking it up, we recall the great feats of the one and only Usain Bolt.

Could Noah Lyles top that?

In the end, he couldn’t.

Bolt has eight Olympic gold medals and is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4×100 metres relay. He dominated three Olympic Games (2008, 2012, 2016) rising to international stardom at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Bolt is a legend in the sport and has not been supplanted by Lyles. Bolt still holds the world record of 19.19 in the 200 metres. Lyles won the 100 metres in a photo finish edging out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by 5000th of a second.

He then proclaimed that he would shock out in the 200 metres, leaving the other racers in the dust and looking at his back as he crossed the finish line in triumph.

“I feel pretty confident, I can’t lie. None of them is winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed.” 

It’s one thing to be braggadocious, it’s nothing to back it up by winning and winning in style.

Bolt exuded confidence and charisma and won time and time again-setting records.

Lyles has a long way to go to even get close to Bolt’s accomplishments. He talked about how a shoe should be made honouring his name rather than Michael Jordan. Many will have to wait a long time before they slip on their feet.

Who knows, perhaps those Trump gold high tops may be all the rage, beating out the Lyles shoe. In the 200 metres, Lyles had an upset, coming in third and looking dejected on his back after the race.

He claimed he contracted COVID which impeded his performance. Excuses have their uses but they are not enough. It has now revealed that he knew he contracted COVID since Tuesday but nevertheless ran in the 200 metres.

Lyles has taken a lot of flak for being a hazard for other facers and spectators and some say this was a reckless act. On the other hand, it could be said this displays his competitive spirit and his will to win and that he got in the arena unlike some of the Jamaican women sprinters who opted out of performing at the greatest event in their sport. 

Bolt turned up when he was supposed to and performed. That’s what singles him out as a champion, taking on all comers at the appointed time. Hard to imagine him writhing around on the ground claiming to be ill.

He always left it all on the track. 

He once ruefully reflected, “ People always say I’m a legend, but I’m not. Not until I’ve defended my Olympic titles. That’s when I’ve decided I’ll be a legend.” 

In other words, my results are my calling card. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday, all that matters is what you do now. What you have achieved, not what you say you are going to achieve. 

Lyles said he would win three gold medals at the Paris Olympics. He won just one.

At 27, Lyles has won a total of three Olympic medals gold in the 100 metres in Paris, bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Games for the 200 metres and another bronze in this year’s Paris Games. By 27, Usain Bolt was already a record holder in three disciplines, winning more medals than Lyles.

Bolt retired from the sport in 2017, seven years ago at the age of 31. Lyles will be 31 at the next Olympics. Will he be able to surpass Bolt’s accomplishments as an ageing veteran? I doubt it but you never know, stranger things and all that. 

Lyles said: “I have asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety and depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why not you!”

Noah Lyles has brought much energy to the sport and is an exemplar of the triumph of the will. He has overcome to get to where he is now.

He still has some way to go to equal or better, Bolt’s legendary status. Usain said it best, and it is something that all Jamaican athletes should heed, “Train hard, turn up, run your best and the rest will take care of itself.”