Olympic Legend Michael Johnson Says Tyreek Hill Versus Noah Lyles Is 'Not A Race'

Forbes

28-03-2025

EUGENE - Michael Johnson is a multi-time Olympic champion and world champion in the longer sprint ... More distances, today commenting for the BBC on the fifth day of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field stadium. ANP ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
With a brewing 60 meter sprint race between NFL champion Tyreek Hill and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles locked in for sometime later this year, conversations have been running amok as to whether the crossover duel will actually field a competitive race.
Well, 4-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson is putting that topic to bed.
'If it's a track meet, if it's a track race, if it's 100 meters, that's not a race,' the commissioner and founder of the brand-new Grand Slam Track league said recently on the nationally-syndicated talk show, The Rich Eisen Show. 'Tyreek can't beat the 20th, 30th-ranked 100 meter runner in the world.'
This week, in anticipation of Grand Slam Track's debut in Kingston, Jamaica on April 4, Johnson sat down with Eisen to provide insight into how the league, which earned a $30 million investment in September 2024 allowing it to get off the ground, will approach the new few months of the league's life cycle. Grand Slam Track will stream on Peacock across all three days of action from April 4-6, while The CW will be a television partner airing the meet on Saturday and Sunday
A total of $12.6 million in prize money will be handed out across four events this year in Jamaica, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, giving the league the kind of stakes that none before it has ever offered. And that calculates out to some massive, life-changing money for track athletes. It's a total of $3.14 million per event—even the last person to finish in each category will still walk away with $10,000.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - AUGUST 26: Noah Lyles of Team United States reacts after winning the Men's ... More 4x100m Relay Final during day eight of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 at National Athletics Centre on August 26, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by)
Naturally, Eisen changed topics and asked about the race between Hill and Lyles—a 1-on-1 duel that will not be featured at Grand Slam Track. Lyles has not signed with the league, either.
'This is just entertainment,' Johnson said of the planned race. 'This is not a real sport.'
Perhaps that's in the eye of the beholder. Hill, a professional athlete who runs (and catches) for a living, is certainly capable of training for a short sprint race, while Lyles, our greatest showman in track and field, understands spectacle better than most.
But Johnson also is preparing to launch one of the most audacious plans in track history, ushering a new sport order featuring the globe's top track athletes. His mission is to promote the league.
Grand Slam Track signed 96 athletes to the inaugural event series and will lock down 48 as 'racers' for every single competition on the calendar.
The names among them are impressive: Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Fred Kerley, Josh Kerr, Grant Fisher and Masai Russell. All are 2024 Olympic champions and medalists. All are in the peak of their track careers.
The 'racer' designation simply means that each athlete is obligated to perform across the four meets this year, otherwise known as "Slams." But it also remains a crucial ingredient to the success of the league.
McLaughlin-Levrone, a world star capable of breaking records, has competed just 12 times outside major championships since 2022. And that's been a slight issue for casual observers of the sport. Getting the world's top performer on the track is one thing; but being able to market her appearances is another.
The list of 'challengers,' meanwhile, will change based on location. But all – names like Bryce Hoppel, Grace Stark and Dina Asher-Smith – will have opportunities to win top prize money, including the $100,000 that goes to the winner of each event grouping. The money is an incentivizer here, because the sport's most well known event series, The Diamond League, kicks off in April, too, and has 15 meets on the calendar.
Grand Slam Track's new format will take some getting used to.
Casual fans may not immediately understand the concept, or the scoring, which will compile like a traditional track meet – a set amount of points for each race you compete in and earn placement for. There's also a question if athletes will go for records, or perhaps only for wins (and whether fans will care if records aren't broken). The athlete with the most points across four meets will essentially become the league's MVP.
There's also a change in the way events are termed. Instead of individual events, Grand Slam Track has introduced event categories consisting of short sprints, short hurdles, short distance, long sprints, long hurdles and long distance.
Johnson did mention that, particularly for his Los Angeles event, the league will implement exhibition races – an example being like the one featuring Hill and Lyles – to feature celebrities and social media stars.
Johnson asked Eisen on the spot, in fact, if he would want to be a part of it.
That being said, Johnson was also excited by the prospect of building. Following the debut of the all-women's track meet Athlos in September, the next phase in the sport's transformation will commence next week.
How Grand Slam Track tackles its debut will make an important impression.
'When you have an opportunity every four years to do something significant and leave your mark, it's really difficult for an athlete to stay motivated in the sport. It's difficult for athletes to actually realize value.'
He added: 'We're delivering on being able to see those athletes compete against the best.'