The highly anticipated race between Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles has officially been canceled. The event, which was expected to take place in New York’s Times Square, drew interest from fans from both sports.
Lyles cited “personal reasons” for the race’s cancellation, but that didn’t stop Hill from making light of the situation. True to his playful persona, Hill responded to the news with a Homer Simpson meme.
Tyreek Hill Responds to Noah Lyles Pulling Out of Highly-Anticipated Race
The idea of a race between Hill and Lyles had been brewing for months, fueled by Twitter fingers and competitive banter. The blazing-fast Hill, known for his trolling online persona, has been outspoken in his belief that he would come out on top.
Lyles, who won the 100-meter gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was much more skeptical of Hill’s chances. Now, we may never know the truth. On Tuesday, Lyles announced the race’s cancellation.
“Unfortunately, there were some things, complications, personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass, but we were full on. We were going to shut down New York’s Times Square and everything, it was going to be a lot of fun,” Lyles told reporters at the Stagwell Global Sport Beach event in Cannes, France.
After the news leaked, Hill responded the only way he knew how. He posted an edited photo of Lyles hiding in a bush, captioning it, “Noah Lyles after seeing me run the 100m last weekend.”
. @LylesNoah after seeing me run the 100m last weekend pic.twitter.com/FionU2x3Mx
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) June 17, 2025
Just this week, Hill competed in a 100-meter dash at a track meet in California, running a personal-best 10.15 seconds. In a playful jab at Lyles, he held up a sign that read, “Noah could never,” referencing Lyles’ earlier taunt, “Tyreek could never,” made after the Olympic gold medalist won an event in February.
Hill Entering Fourth Season with Miami Dolphins
With the showdown between the two athletes officially canceled, the Dolphins’ wide receiver can focus entirely on the upcoming 2025 NFL season. After failing to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2019, that is probably best for all parties involved.
Hill had two procedures this offseason to repair ligament damage in his wrist and was recently seen catching passes in individual drills for the first time since undergoing surgery. He has been urging Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to allow him to do more, but the team is taking a cautious approach.
As training camp approaches, Hill’s recovery seems to be on track, and the Dolphins are hopeful he will be fully healed by the 2025 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.