Paris (Reuters)
Noah Lyles wears the mantle of Usain Bolt, but the American runner knows better than most that anyone who wants to be the face of world athletics needs a combination of presence and talent.
Since Bolt's retirement nearly seven years ago, athletics has been searching for a successor to the Jamaican athlete, without much success.
The sport boasts interesting personalities, but shot putters and steeplechase racers are not universally admired.
But it's the legendary title of the world's fastest man that attracts attention, and it would be even better if it was achieved with elegance and creativity.
Bolt brought a charisma and blazing speed to the track that produced a treasure trove of gold medals, including eight from three Olympics and records that still stand, making him a global celebrity.
This is the level Lyles faces at the Paris Olympics, where he is already being positioned as the number one man in track and field, and from a marketing point of view, Lyles ticks all the boxes.
The fast American runner is a showman by nature who attracts the spotlight, expresses his opinions, knows how to start attracting attention and feels comfortable in the biggest forums in Paris just as he does on the starting podiums of races, but compared to Bolt, his achievements on the track seem modest.
Lyles won three golds (100 metres, 200 metres, four x 100 metres) at last year's world championships in Budapest, but he only took one bronze in the only Olympics he has participated in so far, hardly a resume that would interest fans.
In the all-time world rankings for the 100 meters, Lyles ranks 15th with a time of 9.83 seconds, which is not close to Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds.
Six Americans have previously achieved faster times, including current rivals Christian Coleman (100-meter world champion in 2019) and Fred Kerley (2022 100-meter world champion).
For Lyles, he is extending his sprint record to include the 400m, which will give the 26-year-old a chance to earn a place in the relay and win four gold medals in Paris (100m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x400m). , something that even the great Bolt could not achieve.
Only two men have won four gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics, Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, but their achievements included victories in the long jump rather than on the track.
The closest runner to this achievement was American Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, when she won the 100-meter, 200-meter, and four-by-100-meter relay races, and also won silver in the four-by-400-meter race.
“I'm serious, I just ran the 4×400 in Glasgow, the World Indoor Championships, and I felt like this was definitely one way of saying this is no joke,” Lyles said.
A lot of people thought I was just doing it for the headlines, but no, I'm going full steam ahead, and if you think that only winning medals is going to make everyone love you or make everyone want to do business with you, unfortunately, that's not all it takes. The command.
Adidas recently renewed its contract with Lyles to sign a deal worth $10 million, which the sportswear giant says is “the highest value in the sport of athletics since the retirement of Usain Bolt.”
#Lyles #wears #Bolt39s #mantle #Paris #Olympics