Olympic champion Noah Lyles has expressed his lofty goals of elevating track and field to the status of one of the most prestigious and popular sports in the world.
Olympic 100-meter winner Noah Lyles is eager to improve track and field so that, even when he departs, the sport will have enough respect and fans.
Because of his outspokenness and antics both on and off the track, Lyles is regarded as the face and voice of track and field, stirring up controversy both inside and outside of the sport.
The American sprinter has no intention of slowing down anytime soon since he thinks this is one way track and field will develop going forward, benefiting not only him but also those who come after him.
“I want people to say hey I want to go to a track meeting just as much as I want to go to other events and say hey; Noah Lyles is here and he’s cheering on for his friend or athlete that he found new respect for at the Olympics.
“To be able to give platforms because when I leave, whoever comes after me does not have a hard time trying to fit themselves in. It is like I opened the door, now you can run through it.”
Lyles’ style has been lauded by both current and former athletes with Olympics 400m champion Rai Benjamin the latest to offer support, terming him a game changer and a bigger influence on track and field than legendary Jamaican Usain Bolt and others during his era.
“I think the level of attention that track and field now has is because of who Noah is as a person, just his ability to bring the masses outside in track and field,” Benjamin told Sports Centre last week. “A lot of people came up through the ranks, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Yohane Blake.”
“I think it’s amazing how much attention he [Lyles] has brought to the sport; it’s like the whole NBA was really watching the Olympics to see what might happen.” Nothing like what I’ve witnessed in past years.”
Michael Johnson, a legendary American sprinter, praised Lyles for speaking up on a variety of issues impacting athletes, stating that this is the best way to improve the sport.
