While Noah Lyles focuses on his upcoming wedding, the track season is already surging ahead without him. The Olympic 100 m champion might have hoped for a quiet start to the year, but his Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson clearly hasn’t moved on from their Paris showdown. This time, though, Thompson isn’t targeting the 100 m. He’s setting his sights on another of Lyles’s marks: the 150 m. And judging by his recent form, that record might not stand for long.
On April 4, 2026, at the Miramar Invitational, Thompson dominated the men’s 150 m, clocking 14.92 seconds (+1.3 m/s). Tapiwanashe Makarawu of Zimbabwe took second in 14.96, setting a new African best, while fellow Jamaican Adrian Kerr finished third in 15.21. At the same time, Thompson’s time is now officially the fastest ever recorded over 150 m on a curved track as he surpassed the previous mark of 14.97 seconds, set by Britain’s Linford Christie in 1994.
Even though the all-time fastest 150 meters was recorded by Usain Bolt, who ran 14.35 seconds on a straight track in 2009, Noah Lyles’ 14.41 seconds at the 2024 Adidas Atlanta City Games ranks just behind Bolt and stands as the American best. That means Kishane Thompson is only 0.51 seconds off Lyles’ straight-track mark, and he achieved it on a curved track, which is inherently more difficult. But how?
WORLD RECORD!!!
Kishane Thompson
clocks a time of 14.92s (1.3) to win the men’s 150m at the Miramar Invitational!
He breaks the World Record in the event.
Tapiwanashe Makarawu
was 2nd in African Record of 14.96s, followed by Adrian Kerr
was 3rd in 15.21s. pic.twitter.com/uGK0AxWkBV
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) April 4, 2026
The Miramar 150 m takes place on a standard curved track, which naturally slows sprinters because of centripetal force and lane staggers. In contrast, straight track 150 m races, like Noah Lyles’ run in Atlanta, let athletes maintain top speed throughout. That context makes Thompson’s 14.92 seconds especially impressive, and it suggests his time could be even faster on a straight track.
Adding to the momentum, Thompson had already shown he is in top form, as just a few weeks back, he won silver in the 60 m at the World Indoor Championships in March by clocking 6.45 seconds. With back-to-back top-tier performances, Thompson is clearly sending a message: he is ready to challenge Lyles over multiple distances to show this rivalry is far from over.
Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson take their rivalry to the next level
The rivalry truly intensified at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In the men’s 100 m final, Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson both clocked 9.79 seconds, but officials awarded Lyles the gold because his torso crossed the line first. Many viewers thought Thompson’s foot reached the line ahead, yet the photo finish revealed that Lyles’ torso led by 0.005 seconds, securing him the victory.
Their next high-profile encounter came at the 2025 Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland. This time, Thompson got his measure of revenge, clocking 9.87 seconds to win the men’s 100 m, equalling the meet record, while Lyles finished second in 9.90 seconds, his season best. And just after that victory, Thompson said to reporters, “It felt alright. My job is to get the job done.”
Soon after that race, Noah Lyles also challenged Thompson, saying, “I wanted to do a one‑on‑one race in Jamaica. Just me and him. We could fill the whole stadium.” Thompson accepted the idea, promising excitement: “It’s going to be fireworks.” And soon we might see one!
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Noah Lyles will headline the 100 m at the Rome Diamond League (Golden Gala) on June 4 and later compete at the Paris Diamond League. Thompson has not yet confirmed his entries, but the Diamond League consistently draws the world’s top sprinters. If both appear in the same fields, fans can look forward to another showdown.
Also, there are high chances that Thompson can take part in Diamond League races as he made his Diamond League debut in the 100 m in Monaco in 2023 and also competed in Xiamen and Eugene that year, and then continued in 2025. With both sprinters in peak form, the next few months promise to keep this rivalry at the forefront.
