Noah Lyles on how support from Usain Bolt & Carl Lewis keeps him going

Noah Lyles on how support from Usain Bolt & Carl Lewis keeps him going

Abigael Wafula 19:49 - 28.09.2024

Noah Lyles has expressed gratitude for support from legends like Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis, as he aims to revolutionize track and field by emphasizing its marketing and inspiring future athletes to persevere through challenges.

Triple world champion Noah Lyles has opened up about how it feels when the likes of legendary athletes Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis laud his impact on the sport.

Most people refer to Noah Lyles as being too loud and cocky but he explained that having the back of double world record holder Bolt and nine-time Olympic champion Lewis helps him move forward and become what the sport needs.

The three-time world 200m champion told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he wants to change the sport and in 10 years, he wants to see track and field marketed to the fullest. He compared track and field to the likes of basketball which are well marketed in the media.

He explained that track and field is always focused on winning and accumulating medals but once an athlete retires, people tend to forget about them.

“It’s very nice to hear. Bolt told me the same thing. It’s nice to not have everyone criticize you constantly and call you cocky and arrogant. I’m always going to talk about marketing. I’m also going to say it’s not always just about the performances, you have to do more than just perform,” Noah Lyles said.

“You look at a lot of other sports and they’re doing media, they’re doing press conferences, they’re doing meet-and-greets and all the extra pieces like magazine covers and photoshoots. I feel that our sport is so focused on the win, we haven’t gotten the idea of the other pieces to help us grow and interact with the world.”

The reigning Olympic 100m champion was forced to end his season earlier than expected due to testing positive for COVID-19. At the Paris Olympic Games, Noah Lyles claimed the men’s 100m title and then proceeded to win a bronze in the men’s 200m after being diagnosed with COVID.

He added that he could not afford to miss the 200m since he could have suffered from the guilt of not knowing how he would perform. He added that it would also be an inspiration to the young runners that whatever they are going through, they can always show up and make an impact.

“If I look back now I would have always said ‘what if.’ I would have always thought about ‘why didn’t I try,’ or ‘why didn’t I fight harder,’ because it was hard or because I was scared. People say once you get sick you have an excuse. I don’t want an excuse,” Noah Lyles said.

“I want to be able to put my best foot forward. Maybe there’s going to be someone out there who also catches COVID-19 at the Olympics and they’re going to think it’s over. But because they saw my story they decided to fight through this. And maybe they’ll be better than me and get gold.”

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