Olympian Noah Lyles Reveals Cryptic Reason Why His Long-Awaited Race with Tyreek Hill Was Canceled

NEED TO KNOW

• Noah Lyles said his race against Tyreek Hill was called off due to “complications” and “personal reasons”

• The Olympian revealed that the race was schedule for this weekend before being cancelled

• Lyles said the plan was to “shut down” Times Square in New York City for the NFL star to race the gold medalist

Olympian Noah Lyles says it was “personal reasons” and “complications” that led to his race against NFL star Tyreek Hill being called off.

Lyles, 27, explained what happened during the Sport Beach event in Cannes, France, on Monday, June 16. “We were very deep into creating the event. In fact, it was supposed to happen this weekend,” Lyles shared, as seen in a video shared by the New York Post.

“Unfortunately there were some things, complications, personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass, but we were full on,” Lyles added.

The Olympic track star said the plan was to “shut down” Times Square in New York City for the “big event,” complete with “all the billboards,” said Lyles. “It was going to be a lot of fun.”

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In February, PEOPLE spoke to both Hill, 31, and Lyles about the event after Lyles sported a sign that said “Tyreek could never” after winning his fourth straight 60-m final at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on Feb. 2.

“Everybody says that they’re gonna be the world’s fastest, but when it comes down to it, you gotta be the winner every time, each and every time, and every time I show up to the biggest moments, I win,” Lyles said at the time. calling himself “the world’s fastest.”

“I did at the Olympics. I do it at world championships. I do it wherever it’s needed to be done,” Lyles added during his PEOPLE interview. “And if I gotta go down and, you know, beat up on Tyreek to prove that I’m the world’s fastest, then it’s gonna be done.”

Hill, meanwhile, told PEOPLE in February that he felt like he had to race Lyles “to do this for the guys that play my sport” and show track-and-field runners that football players “can come and take over your sport at any moment if we really wanted to.”

The axed event was going to be full of trash talk, Lyles and Hill said at the time. “I mean, as long as we ain’t putting people’s mamas in it, I don’t care,” said Hill. “We can go as far as far can be. We’re here for a good time.”

In April, Hill was involved in an alleged domestic dispute with his wife, Keeta Hill, who filed for divorce following the incident. Keeta, 29, filed for a dissolution of marriage and other relief on Tuesday, April 8 in Miami-Dade County, Fla. She listed their separation date as Monday, April 7.

According to a Sunny Isles Beach Police Department incident report reviewed by PEOPLE, Keeta told authorities she and Tyreek had been frequently arguing, and got into an argument after Keeta allegedly told Tyreek he wasn’t involved with their daughter. “That’s when he got irritated,” Keeta told authorities at the time.

Both Tyreek and Keeta confirmed their argument was never physical. In their report, authorities noted the baby was in “good health” and “good physical condition.” No arrests were made, and there was no further investigation into the dispute.

Read the original article on People