PARIS: Noah Lyles will try to banish his Tokyo demons when he takes to the Olympic circuit in Paris, in his further bid to fill the void left by Usain Bolt.
Lyles took a big step closer to this dream by winning the triple gold medal (100, 200 and 4×100 meter relay) at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
This led World Athletics president Sebastian Coe to call Lyles, whose contract extension with Adidas this season was described as the biggest since Bolt's with Puma, an “absolute rock star”.
The 27-year-old dreadlocked American is more of a rapper than a rock star; his efforts in the Hungarian capital were captured in the Netflix docuseries “Sprint.”
It shone a clear spotlight on the confident Lyles, who seems more than ready to bring athletics back into the mainstream consciousness, and whose audacity was clear for all to hear in a litany of quotable soundbites.
“You have to have the attitude of an icon,” Lyles said in “Sprint” about his time as a top sprinter.
“I firmly believe that the moment is not bigger than me, but was created for me.”
While many experts point out that such an attitude is not uncommon among elite athletes, there is no doubt that his outrageous behavior has met with disapproval from many other people, not least from countless NBA basketball players – and their fans – after Lyles questioned their claim to be true “world champions.”
Whatever the case, the cameras will once again be on Lyles in Paris as he looks to improve on his performance from the Tokyo Games, where he took bronze in the 200m.
“The bronze medal still burns in my chest,” Lyles said last weekend after winning the 100m at the London Diamond League in a light headwind with a personal best time of 9.81 seconds.
“I'll carry it around with me during the Paris show just to remind myself that this is not the color we're coming back with.”
However, his victory in London left Lyles in high spirits and he need not fear Jamaica's Kishane Thompson, who was the fastest man of the year after his time in Kingston last month with 9.77 seconds.
“I hit everyone I touch,” he said. “I don't see why Jamaicans should be any different. That's what I pray for, that's what I live for and that's what I stand for, isn't that right?”
Lyles, who suffered from chronic asthma as a child, added: “I know exactly where I stand before Paris.
“The more eyes on me, the better I am, at least that's what my therapist says. When the TV cameras are on me and the people are there, I don't lose.”
The American still hopes to win medals in four events in Paris and will add the 4×400-meter relay to his repertoire.
He caused a stir at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March when, after taking silver in the 60m behind teammate Christian Coleman, he was selected for the 4x400m relay team, which also won silver.
It was a call-up that brought the US association accusations of favoritism.
“Let's put it this way: A lot of people in the United States were very, very, very upset that I ran the 4×400, and my response to that was, 'Run faster, push me!'” Lyles said.
Bolt retired from the sport in 2017 after winning eleven World Championship and eight Olympic gold medals.
Lyles, whose sprint double victory in Budapest was his first since Bolt's at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, said: “Usain Bolt has done it and for him to tell me that he sees what I do and that he respects it is incredible.
“I'm the guy who wants to go beyond being famous on the racetrack. I want people to see me on the racetrack, but also in GQ and my docuseries, and realize that I'm a cool guy too.
“Medals are the first step because then people will notice you.
“Then you can go in different directions: fashion, music. You can start collaborating with other people, artists and the world.”
Lyles will need to maintain his top form at the Paris Olympics—the ultimate world championship for American spectators—because to continue to attract attention, he must continue to win medals.
That was Bolt's great strength and appeal: his ability to dominate and win multiple gold medals at world championships.
Lyles is aiming for a podium place in Paris.
