Noah Lyles doesn’t seem to be bothered about who addresses him as an ‘enemy.’ In one of the most bizarre interactions, US sprinter Fred Kerley came up with a surprising statement. Appearing on ‘The Pivot Podcast,’ Kerley was asked about his relationship with Noah Lyles. What he said was enough to rattle the track and field world. Kerley went to publicly term Lyles as his ‘enemy!’ But while such a statement was expected to get an immediate response from the Olympic champion, Lyles seems quite nonchalant. So what is he doing?

Well, he is busier dancing and vibing to music! In a recent upload on X by Junelle Bromfield, Lyles could be seen matching his steps with his partner. Showing off his perfectly chiseled body, Lyles wore a pair of red shorts as he flaunted his moves. While Lyles looked quite relaxed, Bromfield too seemed to be enjoying every bit of the action. Expressing her excitement, the Jamaican speed star captioned the post, “My man is a vibe ❤️😂.” Surely, the affectionate and lighthearted moment shared between the two is bound to melt fans’ hearts. 

But what is not at all lighthearted is the sudden public beef that Fred Kerley started with Lyles. Initially, he started by saying that everybody on Team USA is an enemy of each other. His justification for saying the same was that in the case of individual races, they all have strategies to beat each other. Thus, according to Kerley, the US track teammates are only there when a relay race or a team event takes place. 

And this conversation led him to speak out about Noah Lyles. Asked specifically about the Olympics 100m gold medal winner, Kerley said that he saw him once or twice during the Olympics! “I think I saw Noah probably like once or twice, and that once or twice is probably the opening ceremony and probably the party,” said Kerley. The 29-year-old also pointed out how he and Lyles never warm up or train together. Kerley stressed that to the world, they were friends on television.

But in reality, there did not exist any such friendship. “Everybody is really enemies, you know what I’m saying?” was what Kerley opined. Now then, while Lyles’ US teammate has riled up the community, his Jamaican opponent, Letsile Tebogo, has recently accepted Lyles as his friend! Is this the start of a new rivalry, or has Lyles finally found genuine camaraderie? Well, Letsile was clear on that.

Letsile Tebogo clears the air on the ratio he shares with Noah Lyles

While tensions simmer elsewhere in the sprinting world, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo is keeping things cool with Noah Lyles. Despite raising eyebrows at the Paris Olympics by calling the American sprinter “an arrogant or loud person,” Tebogo insists there’s no real animosity. He refers to their ratio as “just friendly rivalry.”

Letsile stated, “When you get onto the track, it’s all about business. (But) When we finish, you can be friends; life goes on.” His clarification comes after he dethroned Lyles in the 200m final, storming to an Olympic record of 19.46 seconds. Noah, who was undoubtedly the pre-race favorite, later revealed he had been battling COVID-19, adding to the drama of their showdown.

Tebogo doesn’t shy away from calling things as he sees them, but he also acknowledges Lyles’ role in drawing attention to the sport. “The ‘arrogance’ … he’s good to sell our sport. But with me, I’ll always shy away from doing that because that’s me,” added Tebogo. Still, Letsile Tebogo remains wary of every opponent. And the list also includes America’s most wanted, Noah Lyles.

Letsile blatantly stated, “Everybody who’s there on the lineup is a rival.” Off the track, though, he reminds everyone, “We are human beings at the end of the day.” Amid all that is said and done, one thing remains clear: there is no bigger goal for Tebogo while he steps on the track, and his grit to secure the same top every bond and reality. Well, only time will tell how long all this lasts, but we will keep our fingers crossed.