sportbible homepage
sportbible homepage
  • Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • World Cup
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Manchester United
    • Liverpool
    • Arsenal
    • Real Madrid
    • Barcelona
  • Formula 1
    • Red Bull
    • Ferrari
    • McLaren
    • Mercedes
    • Max Verstappen
    • Lewis Hamilton
    • Lando Norris
    • George Russell
    • Charles Leclerc
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • More Sport
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • Darts
    • Athletics
    • Rugby
    • Wrestling
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Snapchat
TikTok
Threads
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • LADbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Divine Iheme's Response When Told he'd Beaten Record Set by Noah Lyles as a Teenager

Home> Athletics

Updated 10:22 25 Sep 2025 GMT+1Published 10:20 25 Sep 2025 GMT+1

Divine Iheme's Response When Told he'd Beaten Record Set by Noah Lyles as a Teenager

The British sprinter is being compared with the likes of Olympic champions Lyles and Usain Bolt.

Ben McCrum

Ben McCrum

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

British sprinting superstar Divine Iheme kept it respectful when he was told that he'd beaten Olympic champion Noah Lyles times.

Ever since Olympic legend Usain Bolt announces his retirement back in 2017, fans have been looking for the next person to step up and dominate sprinting in a similar fashion.

Since then, several names have taken on the mantle of the fastest man on the planet, including the popular Lyles, who recently won gold in the 200m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The American has often been compared to Bolt throughout his career, something that he is more than aware of and welcomes as he attempts to break Bolt's long-standing records.

Advert

But in a few years time we could all be talking about Iheme, the young Brit currently running even faster than Lyles or Bolt.

Divine Iheme is setting times reminiscent of Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles. (Image: Pat Scaasi | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Divine Iheme is setting times reminiscent of Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles. (Image: Pat Scaasi | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In August last year the 14-year-old sprinter, who is from Radley in Oxfordshire, made headlines after he ran 100 metres in a just 10.30 seconds.

To put that into perspective, that is nearly a second faster than the time that Lyles, the current 100m Olympic gold champion, ran just 10 days before his 15th birthday.

Back in 2012, the American crossed the 100m line in 11.27 seconds, a total of 0.97 seconds slower than Iheme's time last year.

But while speaking about his impressive time on Sky Sports, the young Brit decided not to follow Lyles infamous showboating and instead paid tribute to the American.

He said: "Noah is a great athlete and he has given me a lot of confidence to pursue this career, run quicker and get better time. He gives me the confidence to break more and more barriers as I go through my journey."

Iheme's time of 10.30 seconds would have placed him third in the men's 100m at the British Athletics Championship in 2024, and would even have been quick enough to reach an Olympic final as recently as 1996.

Although he has a long way to go yet before he can start challenging the likes of Lyles and Bolt, who had a PB of 10.57 seconds as a 14-year-old, it's safe to say that he's well on his way to becoming a sprinting great.

Divine Iheme could go one to become one of the biggest names in British athletics. (Image: Getty)
Divine Iheme could go one to become one of the biggest names in British athletics. (Image: Getty)

Usain Bolt sends warning to Divine Iheme about future career

Like Iheme, Bolt quickly established himself as a potential legend in sprining at a very young age, something that he has since admitted made it harder for him to adjust to competing as he got older, something that Iheme would be wise to consider.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast with Jake Humphrey last year, Bolt confessed: "When I started out, I didn't understand the concept of 'being great' because I was young.

"I was 15 when I won the world juniors, I was really young and I was really talented so I didn't have to work as hard as it was just talent, as I was winning and winning."

Bolt continued: "I remember when I got to the professional level, and I felt like it was just going to be easy.

"And I got to the stage where I would go to meets and I would lose. And I was like, 'This is strange, this is new'. So it took me a while to understand."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Athletics, Noah Lyles, Usain Bolt, Olympics

Ben McCrum
Ben McCrum

Ben is a sports journalist who specialises in football, Formula One and MMA. He has written for publications such as Manchester Evening News, WiganToday, Manchester World and beIN Sports. Throughout his career, he has interviewed top athletes including Gareth Southgate, Luke Littler, Tom Aspinall and Jenson Button.

X

@benmcc14

Recommended reads

Ranking the top 10 best golfers of all time as Nicklaus v Woods GOAT debate settledGetty ImagesDavid Munyua and Peter Wachiuri interview: 'We wish for major PDC players to come and visit Kenya'Getty / Instagram/@wachiuridartsMark Selby lifts lid on backstage talks over Crucible as landmark agreement reachedGettyBarry Hearn sends message to Ronnie O'Sullivan over snooker future as Crucible prediction madeGetty

Advert

Choose your content:

21 hours ago
2 days ago
  • Getty
    21 hours ago

    Gout Gout is the fastest man ever under 20 after record run in Usain Bolt’s favourite race

    Gout Gout has set yet another incredible record.

    Athletics
  • Getty
    2 days ago

    Sprinter 'faster than Gout Gout' smashes record with lightning fast time

    History has been made at the Australian Athletics Championships.

    Athletics
  • Getty Images
    2 days ago

    Usain Bolt names sporting feat more difficult than breaking 100m world record

    Bolt holds the world record for the men's 100m after running the distance in 9.58 seconds.

    Athletics
  • Getty
    2 days ago

    What happened to the Canadian sprinter who ‘disrespected’ Usain Bolt at Olympics

    The eight-time Olympic gold medallist was not best pleased with his opponent at Rio 2016.

    Athletics
  • US sprinter faster than Noah Lyles at same age has already set three national records
  • Noah Lyles’ Cold Response When Asked About Breaking Usain Bolt’s Record
  • Usain Bolt's world record 100m time was 'beaten' but 'illegal' run never made it into the record books
  • Noah Lyles to Pocket Staggering Bonus if He Breaks Usain Bolt Record