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What are the 'Truths and Fallacies' of the title of the World's Fastest Man? Does Noah Lyles deserve the backlash he has been getting? Here's a grip on this controversy based on the rules applicable.
In the past year, the controversies surrounding the World Fastest Man title have jacked up the track community and Noah Lyles at the center of it.
The American speedster since winning the 100m title at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, has been vocal with his claim to the throne as the 'world's fastest man' - after all, he defeated the fastest men in the world on the biggest stage to earn the bragging rights.
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18:41 - 25.07.2024
Paris 2024: Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, and the five favourites tipped for Olympic 100m glory
Since Usain Bolt hung his spikes in 2017, there hasn’t been an overwhelming favorite for the 100m title at a major championship. With the same scenario this year, at least five are favourites for the Olympic gold with Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson leading the list.
Regardless, Lyles assertions and the controversies around it are on the fact that he doesn't have the fastest time this year (currently belongs to Jamaican new speed king Kishane Thompson at 9.77s), nor does he have the fastest time in history (9.58s, owned by the legendary Usain Bolt), so his claims are misplaced.
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Also, US media outlets have passed wrong notions in their coronation of Lyles's right accolade, arousing track fans frustration on the false information.
NBC Olympics & Paralympics on his 27th birthday captioned their post wishing him a happy birthday, “The fastest man on Earth is coming for the Olympic crown.”
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07:36 - 20.07.2024
Usain Bolt shuts down Noah Lyles's bullish character speaking with Nigerian legendary footballer Mikel Obi
Usain Bolt believes Noah Lyles's bullish character would have been swallowed up during his era as he reflected on his career with Nigerian legendary footballer Mikel Obi.
The statement immediately rang the alarm bells on its fallacy as Lyles’ personal best then was 9.83s (now 9.81s clocked at the London Diamond League a week ago), and still wasn't enough to secure the world lead this year, placing third on the top list behind Thompson (9.77s) and Ferdinand Omanyala (9.79s).
Such misinformation wasn't his first time facing the heat for being called the ‘fastest man’. In an appearance on a show with Jimmy Fallon, Lyles claimed to run at 26 miles per hour as Fallon termed him the ‘fastest man in the world’, and a storm of criticism followed.
A similar thing ensued when Kelly Clarkson too, addressed Lyles with a similar term, while TIME Magazine cover feature on him termed him as 'THE FLASH - The world's fastest man Noah Lyles is bringing his speed to the Games'.
So what are the 'Truths and Fallacies' on the title of the World's Fastest Man? Does Noah Lyles deserve the backlash he has been getting? Here's a grip on the situation based on the rules applicable.
THE TRUTHS
The word fast is used for the 100m event. When an athlete wins a race on the biggest stage against the fastest men in the world at a World Championships, he has solely won the bragging rights of the World Champion and invariably the World's Fastest Man (WFM) until the next global championship.
While there's no basic World Athletics rule that supports the added WFM version (at least none aware of now), it's arguably considered that winning the biggest global price in athletics no matter the time it was done should earn an athlete that right - one which Lyles and his team have maximised the accolade to the best of their marketing abilities in the past year.
An athlete running the fastest time in a season at a normal meet closes off as the one with the fastest time for that year and doesn't make it supersede a world championship race final where the world's best gathered.
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Buttressing this, qualifying to compete at a world championship means the best athletes surpassed the standards set by the World Athletics, and winning any event at that championship is inevitably crowned the world best, world champion, or world title owner.
Lyles's recent backlash stems from the confusion that Bolt was everything during his era - a world and Olympic champion, a world and Olympic record holder - thus if called the world's fastest man, he's well within rights.
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With this in mind, the American is unlucky to step up and be in the limelight after a legendary era with greats like Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay, and Yohan Blake. Also, his vocal personality of wanting to be the best by erasing all of Bolt's records and matching his legacy despite not cracking into the top 10 of the fastest men in history makes his case premature to defend.
THE FALLACIES
The biggest fallacy amid the whole controversy is Lyles being the fastest man on earth/alive or that Bolt will need to race now and defeat him to regain his title as the fastest man.
Secondly, the Olympics doesn't determine the fastest man in the world since the World Athletics governing body is independent of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
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Therefore, an Olympic 100m title winner is just the Olympic champion until the next Games. However, it doesn't negate the fact that winning the Olympic title in the fastest time for that season can't earn the bragging rights of the fastest man.
So these terminologies equate to the rightful owners.
Fastest Man in History - Usain Bolt
Fastest Man Alive - Usain Bolt
Current Fastest Man in 2024 - Kishane Thompson
World's Fastest Man Title - Noah Lyles
Fastest Man on Earth (active) - Kishane Thompson
Fastest Man on Earth (retired) - Usain Bolt
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