Olympic champion Noah Lyles showed why he’s one of the fastest men on the planet in an entertaining 50-meter showdown against YouTube star IShowSpeed. The race, set up by content king MrBeast, had a hefty $100,000 on the line, and fans tuned in to watch Speed take on the gold medalist.
From the gun, Lyles gained a slight edge, but Speed hung on impressively, keeping it tight until the end, claiming he could have won if the race had been 10 meters shorter. Lyles playfully disagreed and proposed a real challenge: training together for a full 100-meter race. “You should practice with me,” he told Speed, suggesting they could run the “real man’s race” after a week or so of proper training.
The two kept the banter going, with Lyles suggesting Speed adopt a temporary new handle—”IShowSlow.” Speed, never one to back down, insisted his “raw speed” was faster, leading to laughs from both camps. But in the end, Lyles proved why he’s the Olympic champion, with the prize ultimately being donated to charity.
Fans got a thrilling crossover of elite athletics and digital celebrity—and maybe a hint of a rematch in the future, where Speed might just show up with some new techniques under his belt after some proper training.
It is discouraging that, in our current media environment, people are far more likely to see financial success by becoming the most obnoxious version of themselves instead of developing their natural talents.
Ishowspeed might have been a world class runner, if he wasn’t a world class jerk.
I don’t think a publication that encourages people to train consistently to better themselves should drive attention (and click revenue) toward this clown. Have we forgotten that we shouldn’t feed the trolls?