For any track and field athlete, the 2025 season has a clear goal: the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. But for a 100m Olympic gold medalist like Noah Lyles, this isn’t just another race—it’s about legacy. Every sprinter dreams of becoming a World Champion, but for Lyles, it’s also about proving he’s the king of his era. With over 2,000 athletes from 200 countries gearing up for this monumental event, the spotlight naturally falls on the Olympic champion, the confident American who’s never shied away from talking records and greatness. Even if he’s fallen short of Usain Bolt’s world record, the ambition remains loud. Yet, in an unexpected twist, some of his biggest supporters are coming from a surprising source: Canadian rivals.
Wait, what? A Canadian hyping up an American rival? That’s wild. Yes, you heard that right. Despite the storied USA-Canada rivalry in sprinting, a prominent Canadian figure like Anson Henry gave Noah his flowers during a lively discussion on The Final Leg Track & Field YouTube channel with Coach Rob and Anderson Emerole. What started as a debate about Lyles’ chances of winning another world title turned into something much bigger. “If he does win the world in the 100 again, could we now say he is officially the king of this era? Three, like three in a row?” Coach Rob asked, sparking an honest and surprisingly supportive conversation.
Anson Henry didn’t hold back in his praise: “If you’re talking about the best 100-meter sprinters ever. Yeah, okay. He’s in there. Yeah, he would. He went back to back to back. I’ll take it a step further—if he does that, he’s in the GOAT discussion.” For Henry, a former Canadian sprinter and 1x Pan American Games silver medallist, seeing Lyles consistently silence doubters is a sign of greatness. “Even me, this year, I’m kind of doubting he’ll be able to do it, right? But he always rectifies doubts. He does. He has rectified my doubts time after time after time, right? Which is commendable, right?” Henry admitted, acknowledging Noah Lyles‘ knack for delivering when it matters most.
The conversation wasn’t just blind hype. There was a clear respect for Lyles’s ability to show up when the stakes were highest. Coach Rob emphasized this point, saying, “When you stop betting against people because you realize, like, you know what? If I were the betting man, I would lose a lot of money.” His words captured a sentiment shared by many: Lyles might talk a big game, but he often backs it up with performance, even when the odds seem stacked against him.
At the end of the day, it’s rare to see such candid respect crossing national rivalry lines. Yet, here we are, with Canadian icons acknowledging that if Noah Lyles pulls off a third consecutive World Championship 100m title, his place in sprinting’s Mount Rushmore would be undeniable. As Anson Henry summed it up, “I just want to see him out there, man. I just want to see him compete.”And honestly, so does the rest of the world. But isn’t it ironic? How can a Canadian praise Noah Lyles when Noah barely gave Canada a glance in Paris? Back then, he treated them like background noise. Funny how greatness forces respect, even from your rivals.
Canada’s extraordinary relay run undermines Noah Lyles’ taunt
The rivalry between the U.S. and Canada in track and field, especially in the men’s 4x100m relay, has become intense and captivating in recent years. At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Canada claimed its first gold in the event since 1997, narrowly defeating the U.S. The rivalry continued in 2025 when Canada won the inaugural mixed 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, creating history, while the U.S. team faltered in the heats, keeping alive its relay race curse. Key figures like Andre De Grasse for Canada and Noah Lyles for the U.S. have been central to this drama that hit a fever pitch in the wake of the Paris Olympics.
Lyles was sidelined from the men’s 4x100m relay due to a positive COVID-19 test, which led him to withdraw. Despite his absence, the U.S. team, featuring Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, and Kyree King, advanced to the final but faced disqualification due to a mishandled baton exchange between Coleman and Bednarek, occurring outside the designated 30-meter changeover zone. This error resulted in the U.S. finishing seventh without an official time, continuing a 20-year streak without a gold medal in the event. But Canada? Canada was pretty neat at the French capital!
The Canadian relay team seized the opportunity, delivering a flawless performance to win the gold medal with a time of 37.50 seconds. Their victory was particularly sweet, as a video from earlier in the year resurfaced, showing Lyles mocking Canada’s 4x100m team by laughing and saying, “Who? Who?” when asked if he considered them a threat. Canada’s win felt like the ultimate payback, putting them on top in the very race Lyles had dismissed.
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