"Made me feel that none of our achievements were good enough" - Noah Lyles on split World Athlete of the Year Awards

Noah Lyles, multiple other athletes, and fans were in for a surprise on December 11 at the Athlete of the Year award distribution ceremony in Monaco.

Instead of the traditional two Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards, the World Athletics Federation distributed six awards, three each for men and women, divided into the categories of track, field, and out-of-stadia events.

None of this had been announced at the time when the names of the nominees were made public, and fans and athletes alike were left wondering what was happening. Many criticized the World Athletics Federation for springing this change upon the winners and nominees without any previous notice, and Noah Lyles has finally spoken out about what he thinks about the whole ordeal.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the track star expressed that the unanticipated change was a betrayal for athletes and the fans who voted alike, writing:

"I believe I found the right words for what happened at the AOY awards. When they decided to split the award without telling any of us, including the fans that voted. It made me feel that none of our achievements were good enough to be AOY."

He went on to add that while that might not have been the intention, it was still a hurtful development.

"I’m guessing that was not WA’s goal but that is how it made me feel. I do believe that there should be more awards included in the event but not with exclusion of the AOY award."

Noah Lyles concluded by saying that World Athletics could have handled the situation better, including informing athletes of the decision.

''I wish they would have waited until next year to change the format of the awards or not change it in the middle of the process. I also wish @WorldAthletics would have had a conversations with the athletes so we could come up with a more structured plan."

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Full list of World Athlete of the Year winners, ft Noah Lyles.

On December 11 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, fans got to see their favorite athletes take to the stage, dressed to the nines to accept their awards.

Noah Lyles took home the World Athlete of the Year award for the track, Mondo Duplantis won the crown in the field, and Kelvin Kiptum claimed the award for out of stadia.

Meanwhile, Faith Kipyegon was the track World Athlete of the Year in the women's category, as Yulimar Rojas and Tigist Assefa were awarded in the field and out-of-stadia events.