“I’m constantly forcing myself into uncomfortable positions so that I have to show up, honestly putting myself in the races where people might have faster season best than me or PRs than me,” Noah Lyles said before he clashed with Kishane Thompson in Silesia. He’s always pushed past his limits, and 2025 proved it. Overcoming injury and doubts to beat Letsile Tebogo in the 200m, his season opener and a race where few expected him to win. But now this very statement might have come to challenge him a little.
The 100m Olympic gold medalist was present at the Lausanne 2025 Press Conference today, where the interviewer used his statements from Silesia to ask if he is ever going to run the 400m. She questioned, “You said that you love to put yourself in uncomfortable positions over showing your talent over 100 and 200 meters, but my question is, when are we seeing you over 400 meters, because we saw you in a 4×4, we know you can move.”
Noah’s immediate response was to ask her if they had not seen the Florida Relays. What happened there?
Now, Noah’s relationship with the 400m is a little sour. In the 2024 Florida Relays, Noah Lyles was part of the USA Red 4×100m relay team that could not finish due to a baton exchange mishap. In 2025, he didn’t race the Florida relays, but he did run a 400m in Florida. It was the Tom Jones Memorial where he ran the Olympic Development finals, finishing 5th with a time of 45.87 seconds. The interviewer pinched again, though.
London, England, July 19th 2025: Noah Lyles of United States competes in the Men s 100m during the 2025 Novuna London Athletics Meet at London Stadium in London, England Alexander Canillas/SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xAlexanderxCanillas/SPPx spp-en-AlCa-9U2A9030
She asked, “Are you one day planning on running the Open Four?” Noah had one demand. “How much y’all paying?” If you want to bring out the most popular man in track and field today to 400m, you have to pay him. Of course, the interviewer laughed and said that she isn’t “paying anything!” “I am not running,” Noah Lyles chuckled.
Despite the losses in the 400m, the Olympian had once talked about running the 400m, and he also thinks he can break the world record.
Noah Lyles believes he can break the 400m world record
On the Nightcap podcast, Noah Lyles talked about how Jereem Richards, a 200m runner with a PB of 19.80s, shifted his focus to the 400m, and then at the Olympics final of the 400m, he was fourth with 43.78. Given that, he believes he can break the world record. How?
“My PR is 19.3 in the 200m. And I have some pretty good strength on me as well. I truly would like to take a shot at the world record if I decide to move to the 400m truly and give it my 100 percent for multiple years – yeah, I’m going after the world record,” the Olympian explained.
The 45.87 he clocked this year is his personal best in the 400m. The current men’s world record for the 400m (outdoor) is 43.03 seconds, set by Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Can Noah break it? Let us know your thoughts.
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