The 2024 Paris Olympics will bring the eagerly anticipated power show on one track and field event—the men’s 100m final. Now, any of the top sprinters have a good chance of winning this year, given the mileposts along the road to Paris saw warmup meets producing blistering moments. The diversity of track prowess ranges from 17-year-old U20 athlete, Christian Miller to Noah Lyles.
Christian Miller is the newest headline in the 100m sprint scene after he won the men’s 100m at the PURE Athletics Spring Invitational in Clermont with a world-record-setting time of 9.93. In contrast, Lyles cemented his position as Bolt-alter to watch this Summer Olympics after he clinched three golds in the 100, 200, and 4x100m relay at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Now can we even compare Miller—Lyles—Bolt?
The race to eclipse Bolt: Reddit debates Christian Miller and Noah Lyles’ chances
In a recent Reddit query post, a user asked “Is Christian Miller likely to run as fast as Usain Bolt?” And people had their opinions. Christian Miller, a high school senior from Florida, set a national record of 9.93s in the 100m, ranking him 3rd on the all-time U20 world list. Noah Lyles won the 2024 USATF 100m in 9.96s, just shy of the season’s fastest time.
As juniors, Miller won the 2023 U20 100m in 10.06s, while Lyles was slightly faster, taking silver at the 2015 Pan Am U20 in 10.18s before improving to 10.17s at the 2016 World U20 meet. While Miller announced himself with his 9.93 times, Noah Lyles was ahead as a junior, and both are gunning for Bolt’s records based on their recent performances.
It’s quite unlikely that any athlete other than Usain Bolt would proclaim, “I’m very confident,” before an Olympic race, as Bolt did before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics regarding having his records surpassed. Bolt holds the 100m world record of 9.58s (set in 2009, breaking Jim Hines’ previous record), the 200m world record of 19.19s, and was part of the 4x100m relay world record of 36.84s at the 2012 London Games.
Noah Lyles, dubbed the “Bolt-alter“, aims to break all of Bolt’s records – which some view as overly ambitious. While time will tell who breaks the 100m mark, fans are showing support for the legendary Bolt on Reddit as contenders like Lyles emerge.
Internet remains the ‘Lightening Bolt’ loyalist
Reflecting on his records, Bolt stated his conviction that his 200m record will fall before his 100m record, saying, “I think the 100m [is] going to be harder [to break] because it’s quicker. And if you make a mistake during the race you’re not going to get it.” But, looks like a fan didn’t find Miller a suitable throne successor as their comment read, “Absolutely not.”
Christian Miller became the youngest person in history to dip below 10s in the 100m sprint cementing his stature in the track and field world. However, another strong opinion was shared by someone who wrote, “I don’t even know who that is and the answer is still “no”.
One even went beyond track and field to draw a comparison between NBA legend LeBron James to a new rookie addition in the annual sports league, saying, “You’re asking if the first overall pick in the NBA draft this year is likely to be as good as LeBron (he won’t)”
Someone added more clarity to the stance and explained the possibility: “Likely? No. Anything is possible, but the possibility that some does world class in U20 & then breaks a WR is still really low for most events, like 5% chance normally. Bolt’s 100m record is on another level compared to most WRs & Miller’s best is his 100m, not his 200m, so I’d say under 1% chance.”
A strongly opinionated comment was shared that said, “Usain Bolt is the fastest man ever because people are so unlike him. Literally, every person in the history of the world has been unlike him.” Whether you believe in Usain Bolt’s supremacy or not, his legacy continues to move mountains and inspire star-studded athletes to reach their maximum aptitude to surpass his standards.
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