Tyreek Hill reignited his rivalry with track star Noah Lyles in dramatic fashion on Friday, clocking a blistering 10.15 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the Last Chance Sprint Series in Sherman Oaks, California. It marked the Miami Dolphins wide receiver’s first race at that distance since 2014 and it was the fastest among 91 sprinters in the heats. After his run, Hill didn’t hold back, declaring: “Noah could never.” The two athletes have publicly discussed plans to race each other before the U.S. outdoor track championships in July.
Hill’s return to track at age 31 and running a time that would have put him in the semifinals at the Paris Olympics (Nigeria’s Favour Ashe qualified with 10.16) is undeniably impressive. He had a slight wind advantage (1.2 mph), but the performance still underscored the elite athleticism NFL players can bring to the track.
That said, Hill isn’t feuding with just any track athlete. He’s calling out the best in the business. While Hill’s 10.15 is notable, it pales in comparison to Lyles’ résumé. Lyles ran 10.14 at just 18 years old in 2015, and since then, he’s clocked times of 9.79 (2024 Olympics) and 9.83 (2023 World Championships). He hasn’t posted anything slower than 10.15 in a recorded meet since April 2022.
In elite sprinting, a difference of even 0.25 seconds is massive often the gap between first and last place and closing that requires exceptional training and talent. While Hill might have a shot at beating Lyles on a bad day or while he’s nursing his current ankle injury, the reality is he’s not quite at that level yet.
Even Hill seems to recognize that. He had initially aimed to run a 10.00 this past weekend and expressed hope of racing Lyles soon and even competing in the 2028 Olympics as a sprinter, not in flag football.
All of this is unfolding during an already eventful offseason for Hill. He caused a stir with trade talk after Miami’s season-ending loss remarks he later retracted. More seriously, he was involved in an April domestic incident in which his wife reported concerns for their daughter’s safety to police.
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