Noah Lyles has expressed his desire to have a sneaker designed in his honor after clinching the Olympic gold in the 100 meters.
The American sprinting sensation solidified his position as a champion, successfully defending his title from last year’s World Championships by narrowly winning the 100m final in Paris, edging out Jamaican Kishane Thompson by a mere 0.005 seconds.
Lyles believes he deserves a shoe named after him, akin to the legendary Michael Jordan.
‘I want my own sneaker,’ expressed the 27-year-old. ‘I want my own trainer. I’m serious. I want a sneaker.’
‘There isn’t much profit in spikes; the real money is in sneakers. Even Michael Johnson didn’t have his own sneaker.’
Noah Lyles (right) and Kishane Thompson had a nervous wait to determine the 100m winner
‘Given the number of medals we bring home and the recognition we gain, it’s astonishing that this isn’t already a reality. It absolutely needs to happen.’
Lyles clocked a personal best of 9.79 seconds to secure his first Olympic gold medal, having initially believed he lost to Thompson before a photo finish confirmed his victory.
‘In the aftermath of the race, while waiting for the results, I turned to Kishane and said, ‘I think you’ve got that one, big dog’,’ shared Lyles.
‘When my name was revealed, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I am amazing.’ I wasn’t expecting to see my name.’
Lyles is optimistic about adding triumphs in the 200m and the 4x100m relay to his list, similar to his performance at the World Championships.
‘I’m feeling pretty confident, I won’t lie,’ he stated. ‘I’ll be winning. When they come off the turn, they’ll be feeling deflated.’
Lyles won by the narrowest margin, delivering another gold for the US
‘The 200m is my stronger event, and now that I have a personal best in the 100m, I’m ready to take it to the 200m.’
Lyles’ triumph was a redemption following his underwhelming performance in Tokyo 2021, where he placed third in the 200m and missed the 100m team.
When asked about his motivation for gold in Paris, Lyles retrieved his bronze medal from Tokyo and said, ‘This fueled me from the moment I held it. The journey began after 2021 when I earned this bronze and said, ‘I need to change’.
‘Now I can claim the title of Olympic champion. I bear the title of the world’s fastest man. This has been the culmination of years of hard work.’
‘This is the one I was striving for. I wanted to show that I’m the top among the competition. I am the wolf amongst the wolves.’
Lyles further challenged his friend Snoop Dogg—who has been in Paris supporting the US team—to a race.
‘If Snoop wants to set it up, let’s do it and we’ll race,’ he stated.
