Sprint: The World's Fastest Humans (2024) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
1
When people think about
speed, they think of the 100.
Nobody on this planet
has ever been able to run
faster than us.
When you are tip to tip
on that line,
it's one thought
I gotta kill these guys.
Once the gun go off
we're at war.
Nothing else matters.
Sprinting is definitely
in the best place it's ever been.
It's not just Bolt all the way
and we're just racing for second.
To win the 100 meters is no joke.
You have to believe.
Immortality.
Sprinters chase this.
It's time for a new star
to be etched in history.
He likes to dance and rap.
Noah Lyles!
I'm the third
fastest human being ever to live.
Soon to be the first.
I'm Sha'Carri Richardson.
I'm a Bentley. Fast, expensive.
- Elegant
- Oh no, you faster than speed.
My name is Shericka Jackson.
- Zharnel Hughes.
- Gabby Thomas.
Marcell Jacobs.
- I'm Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
I'm an Olympic champion,
a world champion.
A mommy.
I'm Elaine Thompson-Herah.
Five-time Olympic champion,
gold medalist.
Erm.
Fastest woman alive?
Guess that's all right.
US versus Jamaica, always big rivalry.
On the line,
I'm a different person.
I'm gonna rip your head off.
All this attention
brings a heavy pressure.
And t hat was Zharnel Hughes
of Great Britain.
What a disaster.
I cried.
You have to have
the mindset of a god.
Can you quiet
everything else?
I'm Fred Kerley and it's my title.
They all say that until they get beat.
14 races around the world.
Ready, set ♪
So much is riding on this.
Your legacy, your contract
everything.
There is a gold medal
at the end of these 100 meters.
Who wants it more?
This is a race
to decide the fastest human
on planet Earth.
Can you rock it like rocket fuel? ♪
Over 2,000
of the world's best athletes
from all four corners of the globe.
The stage is set
for one of the greatest shows on Earth.
It's time to witness the wonder together.
It is a star-studded lineup.
The best in the world of track and field.
Do your thing, believe in you.
- You got this.
- Yeah, man.
- Anything can happen.
- We cannot wait.
You got the skill, you got the desire.
Let's throw everything out there.
Mmm.
Showtime!
Eight athletes are
about to pour heart and soul
into a bid for global glory.
It's the 100-meter World Championships.
Thousands in the stadium
will be gripped
by an epic contest to come.
Can you feel
the ground rumbling?
Set.
One, two, three ♪
Hit it! ♪
Thank you. Merci.
- No, no
- These No, it's really heavy.
Welcome to Paris,
the next stop on the 2023
Diamond League circuit.
The stage is set
for three days of elite athletics.
What's up?
We're moving downstairs? All right.
A lot of Diamond League cars.
- I'm ready. Are they?
- Ready!
All right, let's roll.
Thank you.
Everybody has their own vibe.
I'm a showman.
You can go ahead of them, coach.
I'm Noah Lyles.
I'm 26 years old.
I'm a two-time 200-meter world champion.
And I run in circles for a living.
We feelin' alright ♪
I remember being 17 ♪
Used to look at all
The famous people in magazines ♪
I feel almost like
an artistic director.
You have all these other athletes
as stars,
rock stars, popular wherever they go.
Track and field needs to be the same.
And I won't be happy
until I see that accomplished.
It's go time. It's
showtime.
It's Team USA's Noah Lyles.
When you walk out
onto the track,
that's my favorite part.
We wondered what he'd do.
I'm a true believer
that the moment isn't bigger than me
The moment was made for me.
Tells me it's showtime.
He likes to dance and rap.
He's even written a song.
His name is, of course, Noah Lyles.
We're feelin' alright ♪
Oh, my gosh!
- First time being here, right?
- This is nice.
Yeah, it's my first time here.
Oh, my gosh, I love it!
I mean, it's beautiful.
That's the battlefield.
Paris will host
the Olympic Games next summer
and many of the athletes participating
will be hoping to be back next year
wearing their country colors
and fighting for medals.
People get into this sport
to become an Olympic gold medalist.
The pinnacle is the Olympics.
Michael Johnson, one of
the greatest Olympic athletes in history.
It's the largest
sporting spectacle in the world,
everyone dreams of it.
That sort of historical sense of the games
gives it just this massive amount
of weight.
There is a gold medal
at the end of these 100 meters.
Coming into 2023,
Set!
it's all about
the World Championships,
this year, that's the opportunity.
And for the best athletes,
you're using the Diamond League,
the top professional series,
to get race sharp,
to be in the best position
for the World Championships
at the end of the season.
A busy summer of athletics
on the Diamond League circuit.
Roads leading towards Budapest
in August for the World Championships.
Feels great
running in the best stadiums in the world.
For Diamond Leagues,
the caliber of the races is high.
The only thing I'm waiting for
is that gun.
Everybody's talking about
these races.
Everybody wants to watch these races.
The Diamond League
Circuit is tough,
which is the 1% of the 1%, you know,
and then the people who win are
the-the 0.1% of the one percent.
It's very cutthroat.
You are literally lining up,
fighting tooth and nail
for like a millisecond of a difference.
People are fighting
for the same sponsors, same lanes.
It can be really intense.
'Cause I got a little cheddar
That the dough ♪
No, that TikTok cracked me up.
- Hey, Noah.
- What's up?
Okay, when y'all are done
with this part.
So Paris is my first
Diamond League,
and I'm running the 100,
which I usually don't do.
It's the cutthroat event.
So, 2023 season, there are two goals.
One's to be double champion, 100 and 200.
The other one is
to break the world record.
But everybody thinks
that it's unattainable.
And those are the things that I love.
There's a world title
on the line
in the 200 meters!
Look at the way Noah Lyles
came into the home straight!
It's Noah Lyles!
Noah's the best 200-meter runner
in the world.
19:31 is the time.
Noah Lyles just broke
the American record in the 200.
There is Michael Johnson,
who had that record for 26 years.
It's natural for him,
he loves the attention.
You know, that was
my American record he broke.
Hello ♪
I believe that it's possible for
Noah to win both the 100 and the 200.
That sounds amazing.
But in order to break
the world record,
he has to take the crown
from the best that ever was.
That one's rolling.
It's almost touching my nose.
Look at the time!
Nine-five-eight, world record!
There is no one on this planet
that has ever run that fast.
Noah Lyles is
a great athlete. He's full of energy.
He has the crowd.
Mentally, he's very strong.
He believes in himself.
But, if he breaks the world record,
I won't be happy.
World records are meant to be broken,
I wish him the best,
but it's not going to be easy.
It's a long time since
somebody done it,
Bolt was the last person to do it.
But growing up,
I've always felt the title belongs to me.
Let's play the song.
Yeah.
Wait, is it slice then drink,
or drink then slice?
- Drink and slice.
- All right, drink and slice.
We can do this, baby.
All right.
Pop a piece a pill yah, liquor killa ♪
Tell eh bar swing Ciroc ♪
Living in our house,
being an Olympian
Loud ♪
is like getting your driver's
license or graduating high school.
That's how I viewed it as a child.
Get mad fi mi nuh
Headtop fi mi nuh ♪
Bruk yuh back, and rock fi mi now ♪
Let's go to my office, I got plenty of
cool stuff you can look at.
Let me Don't film the mess.
So this is my running days,
junior year in college.
So my name is Keisha Bishop
and my oldest son is Noah Lyles.
Oh, Noah!
You haven't seen that in a long time.
Baby box.
I was so excited when Noah was born.
My name, Noah Josiah Lyles,
your nickname was "Honey Bunny".
- I'm not aware of that.
- Yeah.
I just knew this kid had a lot of energy.
- Seven months old, you chased a vacuum.
- You were excited about that?
That's big time stuff, man!
You gotta appreciate
the little things in life.
He was such an easy baby,
but life has a way
of kicking everybody's behind.
Oh, that's a cute baby picture.
You know what this is?
- Asthma days.
- Yes.
I didn't get to participate
in sports,
till I got seven or eight.
There wasn't a time that I can remember
where asthma was not an issue.
I can't remember a lot of nights
where I wasn't at the hospital
getting medication
to just try and calm down the episodes.
This like your first lock of hair
from your first haircut.
We had nights where
I would just hold him all night.
Sometimes we were
the only two awake in the house.
So we would talk and I would say,
"Noah, one day this is going to go away
and your life is not
going to always be this way."
Oh, I got some good stuff.
I knew we were going to beat it.
Okay.
And then we're going to create
the best version of Noah we can create.
Ah, look at these medals.
Don't pull them all out.
Doesn't matter, you still earned it.
I have instilled in them like,
"You are here for a purpose."
And that is how legacies are created.
Noah Lyles always said
he wanted to be the face of the sport.
He wanted to be the next Usain Bolt.
This is how you cement your legacy.
Defend the throne!
I feel that my whole life has been
things that are just unattainable.
But if my mom wasn't around,
I wouldn't be
a professional athlete right now.
Oh! Oh, this is your pregnancy stick.
- We're pregnant!
- Wow, you really did keep everything.
The super-old, stale pee pregnancy stick.
I know Noah has
big expectations.
He is passionate.
He's not afraid to take risk,
like running the 100 meters this year.
And we're gonna do everything we can
to be there for him and support him.
- Mom, I think we got enough stuff.
- We got enough?
- We good, guys?
- No, we-we got enough.
Okay, great! I can stop.
I'mma sit with you.
It's so funny 'cause people always
expect us to have such protein-rich diets.
- It's all potato.
- It's all carbs.
- It's so funny
- It's so good.
The Diamond League can be
a bizarre place.
You are competing against,
you know,
your biggest competitors
for prize money.
You are also living in the same hotel.
You are eating
your meals together,
you are going on the bus together,
and so you're in tight quarters.
- Hi, love! How are you?
- I'm good.
The rivalries are interesting.
I mean, you have your rivals,
but that can also be your best friends.
It creates this interesting dynamic,
where it's like, "I wanna be your friend,
but $10,000 on the line,
so it's kind of tough."
What up, dog?
You are staring competition
in the face.
Probably eating lunch with them
for the next few days.
But I'm never one
that can't look competitors in the face
and still beat you on the track.
How are you?
Oooh, what's up, big boy?
Just talking about you.
In the Paris Diamond League,
the guys who have been running the 100,
they don't want someone coming in
from another event showing them up.
- You want the white background, right?
- Yeah, yeah.
Noah stepping down to the 100,
it does kinda shake things up
a little bit.
And so, everyone is going to want
to protect what's theirs.
- You ready?
- Yeah, you?
I'm always ready, man.
The 100-meter guys
have never been known to be chummy.
Everybody wants to be the champion.
So if everybody wants it,
you're gonna bump heads.
Three, two, one.
For Noah coming into Paris,
he wants to prove himself in the 100.
I'mma outside.
- We're good?
- You did amazing.
Awesome!
But he has to face off against
the reigning Olympic champion.
That's a big showdown
and all eyes are going to be on those two.
I'll catch you at
the press conference
What's good, man? Prada, I appreciate it.
It's clean, it's cute.
I like the bag better.
What do you think of Marcell?
- Jacobs?
- Yeah.
I don't call the guy
for hanging out on weekends.
- Marcell's in five, you're lane three.
- All right. Yeah, that's fine.
However he want whatever lane
he wants to feel comfortable in,
that's fine with me, you know.
The 100 meters is where
all the dogs go.
And Marcell is like one of
the fastest guys in the world.
But when it's time to line up,
I'll be there, I can promise you that.
Other than that,
I like his necklace.
I drip and I drip ♪
You drip a little harder
I work a little harder ♪
I'm Marcell Jacobs.
100 meters Olympic champion.
You're going for boxer, yeah?
I know that Noah Lyles is here.
I can't wait to face him.
Thank you.
He's won a lot of medals.
Missing the important one.
We've waited a long time,
ever since Usain Bolt retired.
Who is going to be
that next Olympic
100-meter men's champion?
What an opportunity
for one of these athletes.
I had imagined this
in my head for a very long time.
Set.
Run faster than everyone.
Get what you deserve.
And they're away!
It's pretty even.
Jacobs on the far side.
Look at Jacobs!
And the Italian has done it!
That is absolutely incredible!
Italy has never won
a men's 100-meter
Olympic games gold medal!
They have now!
What a complete
and utter shock.
No one was talking about him
and he's come here
and seized his opportunity!
Watch me flex ♪
First Italian to reach
an Olympic final and win it.
An unknown Italian.
His friends call him Marcell.
Already know me
I'm the beast that sleep ♪
In your nightmare ♪
When I returned to Italy,
my life completely changed.
Marcell Jacobs!
Cristiano Ronaldo texting you,
going to festivals the red carpet.
Paparazzi taking pictures
of you when you're buying groceries.
Watch me flex ♪
Every time I did something,
it was all eyes on me.
Watch me flex ♪
It smells like poop, by the way.
No! He brought poop in here.
- Are you happy, honey?
- Sì.
- That it's your party today?
- Sì.
There'll be a surprise-
I'm Nicole Daza
and I am Marcell Jacobs' wife.
We got married a year ago
and we have two beautiful children.
Okay. Whee!
He's become very famous
these past three years.
I have to say, before all this success
he was a normal person.
Now his world has changed.
- It's not hot.
- Sì.
- Mm-mm.
- It is hot.
It's not hot.
Yes, it is hot.
Win an Olympic gold medal
Doesn't matter to a three year old.
Ciao! Mario! La principessa!
Ciao!
How are you?
Hi! Nice to meet you!
How is it going?
He is super fast.
Shall we ask Marcell how he runs so fast?
After his victory
I noticed a lot of pressure
both in the media
and among the people around Marcell.
He wasn't able to handle this.
Holy Virgin Mary!
I saw a change in Marcell.
I have to say it's not been easy at all.
We have to shoot
against the other teams, okay?
Shoot!
What happened after that victory
was certainly all new and sudden.
Antony, come. Come here!
I had worked all my life
to win the Olympics.
But now I have a target on my back.
Oh, yes.
Heavy is the head
that wears the crown.
And there is no crown is heavier
than the Olympic 100-meter gold medal.
Jacobs is gonna spring
a surprise!
Marcell is a unique situation.
He won it fair and square
against the best.
You know the 'but' is coming.
And the 'but' is,
you can't take it further than that
when you haven't been able to back it up.
Over the past year
All we've seen from Jacobs is, "I'm
injured. I'm not ready."
And he hasn't really showed up
in the two years
since he won that Olympic title.
Like I remember somebody saying
right after he won,
like, "he should retire."
One time Tennis Grand Slam winner.
Major winner in golf
You live off that for
the rest of your career,
not in this sport.
And here's the word
that always comes up
Fluke.
Let's go.
- What a nice day.
- It really is.
Focus on the foot,
let it turn loosely.
I know it isn't easy,
but try to let the foot be loose.
Try to keep it as soft
as you always do with your third leg.
I've had physical problems
for two years.
Obviously, it hurts, because
Not everyone knows my my story,
but, in our sport, luck doesn't exist.
Look at that,
he showed up with the team T-shirt.
How about that.
I ain't had enough ♪
I worked so much on improving
the details.
With my coach, we said, "You have
characteristics. You're fast, explosive.
Why don't we adjust the start
to your characteristics."
And we saw that it brought
great results right away.
Try not to increase
the intensity but keep it steady.
I'mma go harder than most ♪
Marcell Jacobs has had
his critics,
but his start is nothing short of amazing.
I'mma go harder than most ♪
When he is healthy,
and when he is firing on all cylinders,
he is the best in the world.
That's why he's the Olympic champ,
but he hasn't been close
to that form since.
It's a bit tight.
It's the gluteus area that's a bit tight.
It's this part here,
that's giving me a bit of discomfort.
Then we work on some back mobility.
Sí.
Two points really hurt.
There's still stiffness.
I am a bit afraid.
When is it going to be decided?
I'll see how it feels again
after 48 hours.
And we'll decide.
As we head
to the World Championships in Budapest,
if Marcell Jacobs does not give
a fine accounting of himself,
I think some of what's being whispered
about him is warranted.
Noah!
I see you hiding
in that air conditioning over there.
Man, he done found him somethin',
didn't he?
My name's Lance Brauman,
I'm a professional track and field coach.
Coached 11 people under 10 seconds.
I think the tally is like 82 world medals.
Runners to your mark.
Set!
At this level,
you don't teach them how to run fast.
You just try to teach them
how to run fast better.
All right. Let's look at something quick.
Joe!
He's not driving,
like he's up too quick.
Look at the angle of the shin,
it's always up and he's
It's high here, yeah.
Head and ass move
at the same time down the track.
Noah's genetically gifted,
but, you know, we have work
to do in this 100 meters.
Runners to your mark.
That first 30 meters
is not as natural to him
as it is to some guys.
I want you aggressive
through that zone, let's go.
If you get a poor start
in the 100 meters,
the other athletes are gone.
Set
Bolt is not a fast starter.
He didn't get away well!
Usain Bolt
never got a good start.
But then once he gets up into
his running,
he's able to catch up to the field
and then pass the field
because he's got a long stride.
And here comes Usain Bolt,
powering through to the line!
That's a unique ability
that made him so unique
that allowed him to put
the records out of reach.
Set!
Like Usain
Noah's start is not great.
He's thinking too much.
He's just short on his steps.
Like you said, he's shuffling just a bit.
Set!
You think about his stride length
versus Usain's stride length.
That's why he has to have a better start
so that he's not losing so much ground.
And that's a problem.
Drive through the first ten,
get the hip and foot moving first,
drive the head down the track and not up.
Erm, I expect high things
of myself.
My training hasn't been exactly
what I wanted to see.
I don't give a shit about anything else.
Keep it down and drive.
We've gotta be accelerating through 30.
With the 200, I'm never worried.
Set!
With the 100
there's always a little bit of-of doubt.
Three, two, one - go.
Come on, you're halfway there.
Stop.
Okay, recover and come back.
You're an athlete 24 hours a day.
Go!
I train all year-round
and every day to compete.
So, for me not competing is difficult.
No issues with your knees?
No problem okay.
Back of my leg is sore now.
But it's very mild.
I had to work hard.
But now I'm ready for the Paris race.
Whoo!
Mentally I am I am strong.
Noah Lyles
I know he can run very fast.
Not easy, but I'm here for a reason.
I have to do it
because in two months
I have the World Championship.
If I get past this, no one can stop me.
Okay. Vamos.
Feelin' legendary
Though already scary ♪
The intuition is shot
Pride is heavy ♪
They know what I bring to the table ♪
Is hard to carry ♪
But I make it look easy
So you know I'm deadly ♪
Michelin-star cuisine.
Let's go through the schedule.
The race is at 10.12pm
I have Omanyala on one side
and Lyles on the other.
One thing to beat
someone is to get in their heads,
and you find
an athlete who stares at you,
I've beaten him mentally already.
It's about the mind.
It's no longer about physicality
when you get to these tough races.
It's about looking
at the reactions of other athletes.
Let me go figure out where to sit.
- I gotta figure out where I'm goin'.
- Yeah!
I've done so much mental training.
I can walk into a room
and automatically see who's scared,
who's worried if I'm gonna look at them
and who thinks they'll beat me.
You notice I never said
who thinks they'll win,
'cause they never think that,
'cause I'mma always catchin' 'em.
Noah will take off
- If he gets the take off right
- 20 meters
If he gets the take off right
In any case, we will focus on ourselves.
They're hating on me
'Cause I play it better ♪
I don't care for your weakness
Your vendettas ♪
All of my team getting go-getters ♪
It is race day here in Paris.
The hottest ticket right now
is for this men's 100.
We have
the Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs
facing off against
the 200m champion Noah Lyles.
Unlike the 200,
where I have a ton of experience,
I'm very comfortable,
the 100 is that race where I want to see,
that start come to life.
You know, I need to be able to put my
hand in the first person's pocket.
And if I can do that,
then I know the race is mine.
I think that everything that I do,
I have to stop looking
in the rear-view mirror,
to look at the road in front of me
and see what lies ahead.
Set.
Attention, this is the first call
for the men's 100 meters.
Keepin' alive, my homies came in ♪
So many things can happen
in the 100 and little time to make up.
Cars, money
Girls in the club, oh man ♪
It's a great field,
but I believe that I've put in
the work to not lose in this race,
which means I'm coming for you.
- Hammer into the ground.
- Hammer into the ground.
You need a strike.
This kind of hype around races
running against the big boys,
that's what makes me run fast.
It's going to be a tough race.
Nobody is looking at me,
but nobody's going to beat me.
I'm from the 3-1-2 ♪
Where cops don't come through
And dreams don't come true ♪
Come on, let's bring it home.
Five minutes.
Five minutes.
You enter a mode where
you totally disengage
from what is around you.
You focus only on what you are doing.
Hey guys, it's time.
I'm trying to keep as calm as I
can, listen to my body.
An armor falls on me, like Superman,
in which nothing and nobody can beat me.
Let's go.
Okay.
- Can you see him?
- It's Dad!
Are you ready?
What a night it's been
so far in Paris already.
Noah Lyles asking for
a little bit of help from the crowd,
a bit of atmosphere.
World champion now at 200 meters,
and he will want to beat
the Olympic champion.
- Mom?
- Yes?
What are you doing?
I'm a bit nervous, honey.
- What?
- A bit nervous.
When I watch Marcell race,
it is very emotional for me.
The moment I watch him start
I sort of black out.
Say a little prayer?
On your mark.
Will it be
the Olympic champion?
What about Omanyala?
Or will it be Lyles?
Jacobs last to settle.
Set.
As the gun goes off
It's like creating a bomb.
You gather all the energy
you have at that very moment.
You go as fast as you can.
You run as hard as you can.
Jacobs out really well.
A lot of work to do for Noah Lyles.
Lyles working hard.
Is he going to get there?
Who's going to get it?
It's Lyles!
Just maybe by a hundredth or so!
Yeah! Go Lyles!
Lyles to Omanyala!
Jacobs left trailing!
Greatness want to know ♪
What about Jacobs?
Big question marks for him now.
- Where are we going?
- Ooh, that sound
What a shame, honey.
Dad came fifth.
- Why did he come fifth?
- Because Dad isn't in great shape.
Nobody could deal
with Lyles' finish
as he overtakes Omanyala just at the end.
What's going on with the Olympic champion?
He was in the back
It's not a big deal, baby.
You didn't come last.
I know.
Hey, ma!
Technically, I set it up as perfect as
we could have had it.
It really was what I've been looking for,
for a long time.
Noah Lyles really has
everybody's attention.
He is the man to beat.
But to pull off a double
at the World Championships,
he has to compete against
the fastest men on the planet.
The World Championships are
just days away.
Anything can happen.
We at war now.
- The United States
- and Jamaica.
There is an intense rivalry.
When you got the crown,
everybody coming for you.
With Sha'Carri,
it's "look at me"
This my world, they just in it.
Volume ten.
Let's go!
You might wanna calm down.
"I'm about to shock the world."
Two strong females
going head to head.
On the track it's
a different energy.
Noah Lyles
He wants
the 100, 200 double.
200 is my wife,
the 100 is my mistress.
That's the side chick.
That guy is something else.
Is Zharnel always in the conversation?
He's just another person on the map,
another person to beat.
The time has come.
Next stop, World Championship.
You better be ready.
There's no turning back from here.
Subtitle creation by: Lesley Taylor
When people think about
speed, they think of the 100.
Nobody on this planet
has ever been able to run
faster than us.
When you are tip to tip
on that line,
it's one thought
I gotta kill these guys.
Once the gun go off
we're at war.
Nothing else matters.
Sprinting is definitely
in the best place it's ever been.
It's not just Bolt all the way
and we're just racing for second.
To win the 100 meters is no joke.
You have to believe.
Immortality.
Sprinters chase this.
It's time for a new star
to be etched in history.
He likes to dance and rap.
Noah Lyles!
I'm the third
fastest human being ever to live.
Soon to be the first.
I'm Sha'Carri Richardson.
I'm a Bentley. Fast, expensive.
- Elegant
- Oh no, you faster than speed.
My name is Shericka Jackson.
- Zharnel Hughes.
- Gabby Thomas.
Marcell Jacobs.
- I'm Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
I'm an Olympic champion,
a world champion.
A mommy.
I'm Elaine Thompson-Herah.
Five-time Olympic champion,
gold medalist.
Erm.
Fastest woman alive?
Guess that's all right.
US versus Jamaica, always big rivalry.
On the line,
I'm a different person.
I'm gonna rip your head off.
All this attention
brings a heavy pressure.
And t hat was Zharnel Hughes
of Great Britain.
What a disaster.
I cried.
You have to have
the mindset of a god.
Can you quiet
everything else?
I'm Fred Kerley and it's my title.
They all say that until they get beat.
14 races around the world.
Ready, set ♪
So much is riding on this.
Your legacy, your contract
everything.
There is a gold medal
at the end of these 100 meters.
Who wants it more?
This is a race
to decide the fastest human
on planet Earth.
Can you rock it like rocket fuel? ♪
Over 2,000
of the world's best athletes
from all four corners of the globe.
The stage is set
for one of the greatest shows on Earth.
It's time to witness the wonder together.
It is a star-studded lineup.
The best in the world of track and field.
Do your thing, believe in you.
- You got this.
- Yeah, man.
- Anything can happen.
- We cannot wait.
You got the skill, you got the desire.
Let's throw everything out there.
Mmm.
Showtime!
Eight athletes are
about to pour heart and soul
into a bid for global glory.
It's the 100-meter World Championships.
Thousands in the stadium
will be gripped
by an epic contest to come.
Can you feel
the ground rumbling?
Set.
One, two, three ♪
Hit it! ♪
Thank you. Merci.
- No, no
- These No, it's really heavy.
Welcome to Paris,
the next stop on the 2023
Diamond League circuit.
The stage is set
for three days of elite athletics.
What's up?
We're moving downstairs? All right.
A lot of Diamond League cars.
- I'm ready. Are they?
- Ready!
All right, let's roll.
Thank you.
Everybody has their own vibe.
I'm a showman.
You can go ahead of them, coach.
I'm Noah Lyles.
I'm 26 years old.
I'm a two-time 200-meter world champion.
And I run in circles for a living.
We feelin' alright ♪
I remember being 17 ♪
Used to look at all
The famous people in magazines ♪
I feel almost like
an artistic director.
You have all these other athletes
as stars,
rock stars, popular wherever they go.
Track and field needs to be the same.
And I won't be happy
until I see that accomplished.
It's go time. It's
showtime.
It's Team USA's Noah Lyles.
When you walk out
onto the track,
that's my favorite part.
We wondered what he'd do.
I'm a true believer
that the moment isn't bigger than me
The moment was made for me.
Tells me it's showtime.
He likes to dance and rap.
He's even written a song.
His name is, of course, Noah Lyles.
We're feelin' alright ♪
Oh, my gosh!
- First time being here, right?
- This is nice.
Yeah, it's my first time here.
Oh, my gosh, I love it!
I mean, it's beautiful.
That's the battlefield.
Paris will host
the Olympic Games next summer
and many of the athletes participating
will be hoping to be back next year
wearing their country colors
and fighting for medals.
People get into this sport
to become an Olympic gold medalist.
The pinnacle is the Olympics.
Michael Johnson, one of
the greatest Olympic athletes in history.
It's the largest
sporting spectacle in the world,
everyone dreams of it.
That sort of historical sense of the games
gives it just this massive amount
of weight.
There is a gold medal
at the end of these 100 meters.
Coming into 2023,
Set!
it's all about
the World Championships,
this year, that's the opportunity.
And for the best athletes,
you're using the Diamond League,
the top professional series,
to get race sharp,
to be in the best position
for the World Championships
at the end of the season.
A busy summer of athletics
on the Diamond League circuit.
Roads leading towards Budapest
in August for the World Championships.
Feels great
running in the best stadiums in the world.
For Diamond Leagues,
the caliber of the races is high.
The only thing I'm waiting for
is that gun.
Everybody's talking about
these races.
Everybody wants to watch these races.
The Diamond League
Circuit is tough,
which is the 1% of the 1%, you know,
and then the people who win are
the-the 0.1% of the one percent.
It's very cutthroat.
You are literally lining up,
fighting tooth and nail
for like a millisecond of a difference.
People are fighting
for the same sponsors, same lanes.
It can be really intense.
'Cause I got a little cheddar
That the dough ♪
No, that TikTok cracked me up.
- Hey, Noah.
- What's up?
Okay, when y'all are done
with this part.
So Paris is my first
Diamond League,
and I'm running the 100,
which I usually don't do.
It's the cutthroat event.
So, 2023 season, there are two goals.
One's to be double champion, 100 and 200.
The other one is
to break the world record.
But everybody thinks
that it's unattainable.
And those are the things that I love.
There's a world title
on the line
in the 200 meters!
Look at the way Noah Lyles
came into the home straight!
It's Noah Lyles!
Noah's the best 200-meter runner
in the world.
19:31 is the time.
Noah Lyles just broke
the American record in the 200.
There is Michael Johnson,
who had that record for 26 years.
It's natural for him,
he loves the attention.
You know, that was
my American record he broke.
Hello ♪
I believe that it's possible for
Noah to win both the 100 and the 200.
That sounds amazing.
But in order to break
the world record,
he has to take the crown
from the best that ever was.
That one's rolling.
It's almost touching my nose.
Look at the time!
Nine-five-eight, world record!
There is no one on this planet
that has ever run that fast.
Noah Lyles is
a great athlete. He's full of energy.
He has the crowd.
Mentally, he's very strong.
He believes in himself.
But, if he breaks the world record,
I won't be happy.
World records are meant to be broken,
I wish him the best,
but it's not going to be easy.
It's a long time since
somebody done it,
Bolt was the last person to do it.
But growing up,
I've always felt the title belongs to me.
Let's play the song.
Yeah.
Wait, is it slice then drink,
or drink then slice?
- Drink and slice.
- All right, drink and slice.
We can do this, baby.
All right.
Pop a piece a pill yah, liquor killa ♪
Tell eh bar swing Ciroc ♪
Living in our house,
being an Olympian
Loud ♪
is like getting your driver's
license or graduating high school.
That's how I viewed it as a child.
Get mad fi mi nuh
Headtop fi mi nuh ♪
Bruk yuh back, and rock fi mi now ♪
Let's go to my office, I got plenty of
cool stuff you can look at.
Let me Don't film the mess.
So this is my running days,
junior year in college.
So my name is Keisha Bishop
and my oldest son is Noah Lyles.
Oh, Noah!
You haven't seen that in a long time.
Baby box.
I was so excited when Noah was born.
My name, Noah Josiah Lyles,
your nickname was "Honey Bunny".
- I'm not aware of that.
- Yeah.
I just knew this kid had a lot of energy.
- Seven months old, you chased a vacuum.
- You were excited about that?
That's big time stuff, man!
You gotta appreciate
the little things in life.
He was such an easy baby,
but life has a way
of kicking everybody's behind.
Oh, that's a cute baby picture.
You know what this is?
- Asthma days.
- Yes.
I didn't get to participate
in sports,
till I got seven or eight.
There wasn't a time that I can remember
where asthma was not an issue.
I can't remember a lot of nights
where I wasn't at the hospital
getting medication
to just try and calm down the episodes.
This like your first lock of hair
from your first haircut.
We had nights where
I would just hold him all night.
Sometimes we were
the only two awake in the house.
So we would talk and I would say,
"Noah, one day this is going to go away
and your life is not
going to always be this way."
Oh, I got some good stuff.
I knew we were going to beat it.
Okay.
And then we're going to create
the best version of Noah we can create.
Ah, look at these medals.
Don't pull them all out.
Doesn't matter, you still earned it.
I have instilled in them like,
"You are here for a purpose."
And that is how legacies are created.
Noah Lyles always said
he wanted to be the face of the sport.
He wanted to be the next Usain Bolt.
This is how you cement your legacy.
Defend the throne!
I feel that my whole life has been
things that are just unattainable.
But if my mom wasn't around,
I wouldn't be
a professional athlete right now.
Oh! Oh, this is your pregnancy stick.
- We're pregnant!
- Wow, you really did keep everything.
The super-old, stale pee pregnancy stick.
I know Noah has
big expectations.
He is passionate.
He's not afraid to take risk,
like running the 100 meters this year.
And we're gonna do everything we can
to be there for him and support him.
- Mom, I think we got enough stuff.
- We got enough?
- We good, guys?
- No, we-we got enough.
Okay, great! I can stop.
I'mma sit with you.
It's so funny 'cause people always
expect us to have such protein-rich diets.
- It's all potato.
- It's all carbs.
- It's so funny
- It's so good.
The Diamond League can be
a bizarre place.
You are competing against,
you know,
your biggest competitors
for prize money.
You are also living in the same hotel.
You are eating
your meals together,
you are going on the bus together,
and so you're in tight quarters.
- Hi, love! How are you?
- I'm good.
The rivalries are interesting.
I mean, you have your rivals,
but that can also be your best friends.
It creates this interesting dynamic,
where it's like, "I wanna be your friend,
but $10,000 on the line,
so it's kind of tough."
What up, dog?
You are staring competition
in the face.
Probably eating lunch with them
for the next few days.
But I'm never one
that can't look competitors in the face
and still beat you on the track.
How are you?
Oooh, what's up, big boy?
Just talking about you.
In the Paris Diamond League,
the guys who have been running the 100,
they don't want someone coming in
from another event showing them up.
- You want the white background, right?
- Yeah, yeah.
Noah stepping down to the 100,
it does kinda shake things up
a little bit.
And so, everyone is going to want
to protect what's theirs.
- You ready?
- Yeah, you?
I'm always ready, man.
The 100-meter guys
have never been known to be chummy.
Everybody wants to be the champion.
So if everybody wants it,
you're gonna bump heads.
Three, two, one.
For Noah coming into Paris,
he wants to prove himself in the 100.
I'mma outside.
- We're good?
- You did amazing.
Awesome!
But he has to face off against
the reigning Olympic champion.
That's a big showdown
and all eyes are going to be on those two.
I'll catch you at
the press conference
What's good, man? Prada, I appreciate it.
It's clean, it's cute.
I like the bag better.
What do you think of Marcell?
- Jacobs?
- Yeah.
I don't call the guy
for hanging out on weekends.
- Marcell's in five, you're lane three.
- All right. Yeah, that's fine.
However he want whatever lane
he wants to feel comfortable in,
that's fine with me, you know.
The 100 meters is where
all the dogs go.
And Marcell is like one of
the fastest guys in the world.
But when it's time to line up,
I'll be there, I can promise you that.
Other than that,
I like his necklace.
I drip and I drip ♪
You drip a little harder
I work a little harder ♪
I'm Marcell Jacobs.
100 meters Olympic champion.
You're going for boxer, yeah?
I know that Noah Lyles is here.
I can't wait to face him.
Thank you.
He's won a lot of medals.
Missing the important one.
We've waited a long time,
ever since Usain Bolt retired.
Who is going to be
that next Olympic
100-meter men's champion?
What an opportunity
for one of these athletes.
I had imagined this
in my head for a very long time.
Set.
Run faster than everyone.
Get what you deserve.
And they're away!
It's pretty even.
Jacobs on the far side.
Look at Jacobs!
And the Italian has done it!
That is absolutely incredible!
Italy has never won
a men's 100-meter
Olympic games gold medal!
They have now!
What a complete
and utter shock.
No one was talking about him
and he's come here
and seized his opportunity!
Watch me flex ♪
First Italian to reach
an Olympic final and win it.
An unknown Italian.
His friends call him Marcell.
Already know me
I'm the beast that sleep ♪
In your nightmare ♪
When I returned to Italy,
my life completely changed.
Marcell Jacobs!
Cristiano Ronaldo texting you,
going to festivals the red carpet.
Paparazzi taking pictures
of you when you're buying groceries.
Watch me flex ♪
Every time I did something,
it was all eyes on me.
Watch me flex ♪
It smells like poop, by the way.
No! He brought poop in here.
- Are you happy, honey?
- Sì.
- That it's your party today?
- Sì.
There'll be a surprise-
I'm Nicole Daza
and I am Marcell Jacobs' wife.
We got married a year ago
and we have two beautiful children.
Okay. Whee!
He's become very famous
these past three years.
I have to say, before all this success
he was a normal person.
Now his world has changed.
- It's not hot.
- Sì.
- Mm-mm.
- It is hot.
It's not hot.
Yes, it is hot.
Win an Olympic gold medal
Doesn't matter to a three year old.
Ciao! Mario! La principessa!
Ciao!
How are you?
Hi! Nice to meet you!
How is it going?
He is super fast.
Shall we ask Marcell how he runs so fast?
After his victory
I noticed a lot of pressure
both in the media
and among the people around Marcell.
He wasn't able to handle this.
Holy Virgin Mary!
I saw a change in Marcell.
I have to say it's not been easy at all.
We have to shoot
against the other teams, okay?
Shoot!
What happened after that victory
was certainly all new and sudden.
Antony, come. Come here!
I had worked all my life
to win the Olympics.
But now I have a target on my back.
Oh, yes.
Heavy is the head
that wears the crown.
And there is no crown is heavier
than the Olympic 100-meter gold medal.
Jacobs is gonna spring
a surprise!
Marcell is a unique situation.
He won it fair and square
against the best.
You know the 'but' is coming.
And the 'but' is,
you can't take it further than that
when you haven't been able to back it up.
Over the past year
All we've seen from Jacobs is, "I'm
injured. I'm not ready."
And he hasn't really showed up
in the two years
since he won that Olympic title.
Like I remember somebody saying
right after he won,
like, "he should retire."
One time Tennis Grand Slam winner.
Major winner in golf
You live off that for
the rest of your career,
not in this sport.
And here's the word
that always comes up
Fluke.
Let's go.
- What a nice day.
- It really is.
Focus on the foot,
let it turn loosely.
I know it isn't easy,
but try to let the foot be loose.
Try to keep it as soft
as you always do with your third leg.
I've had physical problems
for two years.
Obviously, it hurts, because
Not everyone knows my my story,
but, in our sport, luck doesn't exist.
Look at that,
he showed up with the team T-shirt.
How about that.
I ain't had enough ♪
I worked so much on improving
the details.
With my coach, we said, "You have
characteristics. You're fast, explosive.
Why don't we adjust the start
to your characteristics."
And we saw that it brought
great results right away.
Try not to increase
the intensity but keep it steady.
I'mma go harder than most ♪
Marcell Jacobs has had
his critics,
but his start is nothing short of amazing.
I'mma go harder than most ♪
When he is healthy,
and when he is firing on all cylinders,
he is the best in the world.
That's why he's the Olympic champ,
but he hasn't been close
to that form since.
It's a bit tight.
It's the gluteus area that's a bit tight.
It's this part here,
that's giving me a bit of discomfort.
Then we work on some back mobility.
Sí.
Two points really hurt.
There's still stiffness.
I am a bit afraid.
When is it going to be decided?
I'll see how it feels again
after 48 hours.
And we'll decide.
As we head
to the World Championships in Budapest,
if Marcell Jacobs does not give
a fine accounting of himself,
I think some of what's being whispered
about him is warranted.
Noah!
I see you hiding
in that air conditioning over there.
Man, he done found him somethin',
didn't he?
My name's Lance Brauman,
I'm a professional track and field coach.
Coached 11 people under 10 seconds.
I think the tally is like 82 world medals.
Runners to your mark.
Set!
At this level,
you don't teach them how to run fast.
You just try to teach them
how to run fast better.
All right. Let's look at something quick.
Joe!
He's not driving,
like he's up too quick.
Look at the angle of the shin,
it's always up and he's
It's high here, yeah.
Head and ass move
at the same time down the track.
Noah's genetically gifted,
but, you know, we have work
to do in this 100 meters.
Runners to your mark.
That first 30 meters
is not as natural to him
as it is to some guys.
I want you aggressive
through that zone, let's go.
If you get a poor start
in the 100 meters,
the other athletes are gone.
Set
Bolt is not a fast starter.
He didn't get away well!
Usain Bolt
never got a good start.
But then once he gets up into
his running,
he's able to catch up to the field
and then pass the field
because he's got a long stride.
And here comes Usain Bolt,
powering through to the line!
That's a unique ability
that made him so unique
that allowed him to put
the records out of reach.
Set!
Like Usain
Noah's start is not great.
He's thinking too much.
He's just short on his steps.
Like you said, he's shuffling just a bit.
Set!
You think about his stride length
versus Usain's stride length.
That's why he has to have a better start
so that he's not losing so much ground.
And that's a problem.
Drive through the first ten,
get the hip and foot moving first,
drive the head down the track and not up.
Erm, I expect high things
of myself.
My training hasn't been exactly
what I wanted to see.
I don't give a shit about anything else.
Keep it down and drive.
We've gotta be accelerating through 30.
With the 200, I'm never worried.
Set!
With the 100
there's always a little bit of-of doubt.
Three, two, one - go.
Come on, you're halfway there.
Stop.
Okay, recover and come back.
You're an athlete 24 hours a day.
Go!
I train all year-round
and every day to compete.
So, for me not competing is difficult.
No issues with your knees?
No problem okay.
Back of my leg is sore now.
But it's very mild.
I had to work hard.
But now I'm ready for the Paris race.
Whoo!
Mentally I am I am strong.
Noah Lyles
I know he can run very fast.
Not easy, but I'm here for a reason.
I have to do it
because in two months
I have the World Championship.
If I get past this, no one can stop me.
Okay. Vamos.
Feelin' legendary
Though already scary ♪
The intuition is shot
Pride is heavy ♪
They know what I bring to the table ♪
Is hard to carry ♪
But I make it look easy
So you know I'm deadly ♪
Michelin-star cuisine.
Let's go through the schedule.
The race is at 10.12pm
I have Omanyala on one side
and Lyles on the other.
One thing to beat
someone is to get in their heads,
and you find
an athlete who stares at you,
I've beaten him mentally already.
It's about the mind.
It's no longer about physicality
when you get to these tough races.
It's about looking
at the reactions of other athletes.
Let me go figure out where to sit.
- I gotta figure out where I'm goin'.
- Yeah!
I've done so much mental training.
I can walk into a room
and automatically see who's scared,
who's worried if I'm gonna look at them
and who thinks they'll beat me.
You notice I never said
who thinks they'll win,
'cause they never think that,
'cause I'mma always catchin' 'em.
Noah will take off
- If he gets the take off right
- 20 meters
If he gets the take off right
In any case, we will focus on ourselves.
They're hating on me
'Cause I play it better ♪
I don't care for your weakness
Your vendettas ♪
All of my team getting go-getters ♪
It is race day here in Paris.
The hottest ticket right now
is for this men's 100.
We have
the Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs
facing off against
the 200m champion Noah Lyles.
Unlike the 200,
where I have a ton of experience,
I'm very comfortable,
the 100 is that race where I want to see,
that start come to life.
You know, I need to be able to put my
hand in the first person's pocket.
And if I can do that,
then I know the race is mine.
I think that everything that I do,
I have to stop looking
in the rear-view mirror,
to look at the road in front of me
and see what lies ahead.
Set.
Attention, this is the first call
for the men's 100 meters.
Keepin' alive, my homies came in ♪
So many things can happen
in the 100 and little time to make up.
Cars, money
Girls in the club, oh man ♪
It's a great field,
but I believe that I've put in
the work to not lose in this race,
which means I'm coming for you.
- Hammer into the ground.
- Hammer into the ground.
You need a strike.
This kind of hype around races
running against the big boys,
that's what makes me run fast.
It's going to be a tough race.
Nobody is looking at me,
but nobody's going to beat me.
I'm from the 3-1-2 ♪
Where cops don't come through
And dreams don't come true ♪
Come on, let's bring it home.
Five minutes.
Five minutes.
You enter a mode where
you totally disengage
from what is around you.
You focus only on what you are doing.
Hey guys, it's time.
I'm trying to keep as calm as I
can, listen to my body.
An armor falls on me, like Superman,
in which nothing and nobody can beat me.
Let's go.
Okay.
- Can you see him?
- It's Dad!
Are you ready?
What a night it's been
so far in Paris already.
Noah Lyles asking for
a little bit of help from the crowd,
a bit of atmosphere.
World champion now at 200 meters,
and he will want to beat
the Olympic champion.
- Mom?
- Yes?
What are you doing?
I'm a bit nervous, honey.
- What?
- A bit nervous.
When I watch Marcell race,
it is very emotional for me.
The moment I watch him start
I sort of black out.
Say a little prayer?
On your mark.
Will it be
the Olympic champion?
What about Omanyala?
Or will it be Lyles?
Jacobs last to settle.
Set.
As the gun goes off
It's like creating a bomb.
You gather all the energy
you have at that very moment.
You go as fast as you can.
You run as hard as you can.
Jacobs out really well.
A lot of work to do for Noah Lyles.
Lyles working hard.
Is he going to get there?
Who's going to get it?
It's Lyles!
Just maybe by a hundredth or so!
Yeah! Go Lyles!
Lyles to Omanyala!
Jacobs left trailing!
Greatness want to know ♪
What about Jacobs?
Big question marks for him now.
- Where are we going?
- Ooh, that sound
What a shame, honey.
Dad came fifth.
- Why did he come fifth?
- Because Dad isn't in great shape.
Nobody could deal
with Lyles' finish
as he overtakes Omanyala just at the end.
What's going on with the Olympic champion?
He was in the back
It's not a big deal, baby.
You didn't come last.
I know.
Hey, ma!
Technically, I set it up as perfect as
we could have had it.
It really was what I've been looking for,
for a long time.
Noah Lyles really has
everybody's attention.
He is the man to beat.
But to pull off a double
at the World Championships,
he has to compete against
the fastest men on the planet.
The World Championships are
just days away.
Anything can happen.
We at war now.
- The United States
- and Jamaica.
There is an intense rivalry.
When you got the crown,
everybody coming for you.
With Sha'Carri,
it's "look at me"
This my world, they just in it.
Volume ten.
Let's go!
You might wanna calm down.
"I'm about to shock the world."
Two strong females
going head to head.
On the track it's
a different energy.
Noah Lyles
He wants
the 100, 200 double.
200 is my wife,
the 100 is my mistress.
That's the side chick.
That guy is something else.
Is Zharnel always in the conversation?
He's just another person on the map,
another person to beat.
The time has come.
Next stop, World Championship.
You better be ready.
There's no turning back from here.
Subtitle creation by: Lesley Taylor