Noah Lyles recently opened up on the controversy that sparked due to his addition to the 4x400m relay race at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. The American athlete believed that he retorted enough at the negativity thrown at him, explaining that he used the opportunity as a chance to show his potential in the 4x400m relay race event.
In December 2023, Lyles expressed his wish to win his fourth medal in the 4x400m relay after dominating the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay race at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. So, the 26-year-old made his debut in the event on March 3 with Team USA in Glasgow. However, Noah Lyles and USATF received massive backlash from fans and athletes for his unexpected inclusion.
Athletes like Fred Kerley and Bianca Knight criticized USATF for suddenly including Lyles in the team based on favoritism. The reigning 100m and 200m world champion devalued their comments by saying he worked hard to grab the opportunity and come across as marketable to the sports organization.
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During Noah Lyles’ latest interview with Yahoo Sports’ Callie Lawson-Freeman, the athlete was asked if he wanted to clap back more at criticism than he did. He said,
"To be honest, there's no need to be. There's no need to be. I was on it. Of course, there was many things I can say. But I think I'll take the words of somebody who is a previous Olympian and has run on many relays themselves. They said, no spot is deserved on the relay. No spot is safe. "verybody has to prove their worth. And I was no different."
He further added,
"They took a chance on me. I felt that I have many accolades that show that I can run fast enough. And I felt that this was the meet where it was the lowest risk, but it was the highest stake situation for them to say, this is uncomfortable enough for him to be in a place where he's going to be put pressure on him, but also where, if we lose, we'll be OK. We'll know we can't use him again."
Noah Lyles’ coach on his participating in the 4x400m relay race
Amidst the backlash at the World Indoor Championships, Noah Lyles helped Team USA to win the silver medal. He competed in the event with team members Jacory Patterson, Matthew Boling, and Chris Bailey. Lyles ran the third leg in the race clocking 45.68s. Ultimately, Belgium clocked 3:02.54 beating USA’s 3:02.60.
Lyles’ performance at the World Indoor Championships could benefit him at the US Olympic Trials in June. However, ahead of the selection day, his coach Lance Brauman shared his views on the athlete’s wish to compete in the 4x400m relay race. He told USA Today,
“In my system and how we train here, sprinters sprint. You train where you can run anything from 100 meters to 400 meters. But the emphasis for him is the 100 and 200 meters."
He added:
“Anything that comes with the relay is a country decision. Like I told him, that should be something that you do for fun. Our job is to be a 100 and 200-meter sprinter. And that’s where my focus is… I just need him to make the team first.”
