Noah Lyles has clarified his stance on 'World Champions' at the US Open amidst a broader controversy involving NBA and Olympics.
Three-time world 200m champion Noah Lyles has offered a clarification regarding his views on what constitutes a 'World Champion'.
This comes in the wake of his controversial comments on NBA titleholders and his recent performance at the Paris Olympics.
Lyles, who was in attendance at the US Open women’s final, took the opportunity to address his previous statements and the broader scope of international competition.
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The discussion was reignited at the US Open, where Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula faced off in a match watched by sports enthusiasts around the world, including Lyles.
When questioned about the global stature of the US Open winners, Lyles expressed strong support for the international representation in the tournament.
"These are World Champions. International players that play against the top in the world constantly, these are world champions," he affirmed.
His comments drew a stark contrast to his earlier criticism of the NBA Finals, where he challenged the use of the term 'World Champions' for a competition primarily involving American teams as quoted by SportsKeeda.
"You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have 'world champion' on their head. World champion of what? The United States? Don't get me wrong, I love the U.S. at times, but that ain't the world...We are the world. We are the world.
We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA," Lyles had stated following his victory at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
The backlash from his NBA comments resurfaced after Lyles did not secure the top spot in the men's 200m race at the Paris Olympics.
This led to a public exchange with NFL's Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who criticized Lyles' stance and challenged his athletic prowess.
“Noah Lyles can't say nothing after what just happened to him. You know what I'm saying? Then he want to come out and pretend like he's sick. I feel like that's like horseradish. So, for him to do that and say that we're not world champions of like our sport, like come on, bro, just speak on what you know about, you know what I'm saying? And that's track. I would beat Lyles. No, I wouldn't beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles," he said.
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Amidst this banter, the notion of a potential race between Lyles and Hill has been tantalizing fans, escalating their anticipation for what could be a spectacular showdown.
Social media platforms are abuzz with discussions and predictions about the outcome of such an unusual yet exciting athletic confrontation.