'Has A Lot of Hardware' - Former Bahamian Sprinter Reveals What Noah Lyles Must Do To Join Usain Bolt In GOAT Conversation

Noah Lyles must show sheer dominance to even be considered for the GOAT conversation, an ex-sprinter has claimed.

The Olympic champion has been tipped to join Usain Bolt as one of the greatest-ever track athletes.

Lyles is currently the third fastest man in history across the 200m, with his personal best of 19.31secs only beaten by Bolt and Yohan Blake.

His 100m gold in Paris last summer followed a trio of wins at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

The American will defend his 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles in Tokyo in September, having already won six World Championship gold medals.

However, former Bahamian sprinter Rodney Green believes Lyles has some way to go to be considered alongside Bolt as reported by talkSPORT. Green discussed whether Lyles would enter the GOAT conversation by winning gold again in Tokyo with Justin Gatlin on the Ready Set Go podcast.

The 39-year-old admitted: "I definitely don’t think it would move him into a GOAT situation.

"This is no shade to Noah, I do think Noah is a clutch champion, but he hasn’t shown enough sheer dominance in the 100m yet."

As for what it would take for Lyles to be put into that debate, Green added: "He would have to defend both medals. "He would have to be the defending world champion, he would have to defend that gold and he would have to be the defending Olympic champion and win that gold again in 2028.

"In between those years he would have to show sheer dominance."

Lyles won his first Olympic gold medal in the French capital last year alongside a bronze in the 200m.

He had previously won bronze in the same event at the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 27-year-old also holds the national record in both the 200m and 4x100m already in his career.

Green believes the required dominance is still lacking, though, explaining: "Most of the Olympic champions after the Olympic medal, they usually dominate going over the next few years. That would be the thing for me.

"He has a lot of hardware, he has a lot of accomplishments but defending those medals back-to-back would be a thing for me."

As for what sets Bolt apart, he said: "It’s no secret he wants to be one of the greatest of all-time, one of the best to ever do it.

Lyles started 2017 with his first senior national title in the 300 m at the 2017 USA Indoor Championships in the thin air of Albuquerque, New Mexico, improving the indoor world record by one hundredth of a second to 31.87 seconds.