"Big rock stars of our past and present don’t hang out" - When Noah Lyles called for unity in track & field to elevate its reach inspired by artists

Noah Lyles once called for unity in the sport of track and field, believing it would help in increasing its reach. He commented on the matter following his first-ever gold medal in the 100m at the World Athletics Championships in 2023.

Lyles, known for his outspoken views on issues within the sport, gave a firm stance on why he believes track and field has struggled to grow. In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com in August 2023 after his success in the Worlds, he spoke about how artists build their profiles by collaborating with other artists/musicians/brands, which he feels doesn’t happen in track and field. He stated:

“You look at musicians, they start having clothing brands and they start throwing fashion shows and they start hanging out with other artists. You look at our sport and we don’t even hang out with the athletes in our own sport.”

He highlighted how both present and past stars don’t even connect with each other. According to Lyles, the lack of unity also holds the sport back from gaining worldwide recognition. He added:

“The big rock stars [from track & field] of our past and present don’t even hang out together. How can we get to this higher level that we all want to talk about and we aren’t even doing what’s needed to show that we respect each other?”

Now the Olympic 100m gold medalist, Lyles continues his efforts to get the sport more eyeballs as he is exploring ways for a collaboration between track and NFL athletes, with his race against Tyreek Hill expected to happen in 2025.

Noah Lyles outlines upcoming goals for track and field after success at Paris Olympics

Noah Lyles after winning 100m at Paris 2024 Source: Getty

Following his successful outing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles appeared on the Access Hollywood show with guest correspondent Emily Orozco to discuss the big things he plans to achieve next. Noah Lyles responded, saying (11:07 onwards):

“I have many big plans. I want to show my sport to the world. I want it to be entertaining just as much. I want people to say, ‘Hey, I want to go to a track meet.’ And just as much as that, I want to be able to go to other events and say, ‘Hey, Noah Lyles is here’ and he's cheering on his friend or an athlete that he found new respect for the Olympics.”

He further shared how he wanted to use his influence to open doors for the next generation of athletes:

“Be able to give platforms so that when I leave, whoever decides to come after me does not have a hard time trying to fit themselves in. It’s like I opened the door, now you can run through it."

Besides winning gold in the 100m, Lyles concluded his Paris Olympics campaign and successful season with a consecutive bronze in the 200m. He wasn't part of Team USA's men's 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics, withdrawing from the event after being diagnosed with COVID-19.