Noah Lyles, known as one of the fastest men on the planet, recently shocked onlookers when he raced against a streamer, leaving many in disbelief.
The notion of an Olympic athlete competing against a social media figure may sound trivial.
Consider an influencer challenging an elite swimmer like Michael Phelps to a race—it’s a similar scenario.
This event took place on the track with Noah Lyles, the reigning Olympic 100m gold medalist, still at the peak of his athletic career.
The challenger was not just any influencer but the well-known IShowSpeed, whose name hints at his remarkable speed.
But how does IShowSpeed, also known as Darren Jason Watkins Jr., fare against an Olympic-level sprinter? Quite impressively, it turns out.
In a 50m sprint showdown for $100,000, Speed competed against Lyles this week, and the race was surprisingly tight.
The competition was so close that some fans suggested the streamer should receive formal training and consider entering competitive athletics.
Though Lyles ultimately triumphed, the margin of victory was not substantial.
Notably, Lyles appeared to be holding back, turning to look at the streamer as he overtook him near the finish line.
Afterward, Speed claimed the race was a tie, only to be shown evidence of his defeat. Lyles humorously pointed out that he began high-stepping as he took the lead.
Nonetheless, Speed’s effort and performance garnered significant admiration on social media.
One YouTube viewer commented, “A 19-year-old kid got that close to the fastest man alive. Now imagine what would happen if he was professionally trained.”
Another expressed, “I don’t know about y’all, but the race being THAT CLOSE, is actually MIND BOGGLING. Full Props to Speed.”
A third noted, “Speed barely lost against the Olympic champion, straight after a 3 hour drive. That’s impressive. Huge W.”
Another added, “The fact that Speed was so close to winning and he admitted defeat while hitting 33 million in one day is a HUGE accomplishment. Congrats speed and keep training!”
An additional comment read, “I’m extremely impressed!! I understand what speeds saying. He’s never had any kind of training before but he’s depending on his raw natural talent. It’s insane the fact that speed actually gave this man a race when he’s never had a ounce of training before.”