"Being marketable sells, medals don’t bring likeness" - Noah Lyles takes jibe amid controversial inclusion in relay team at World Indoor Championships

American athlete Noah Lyles recently took an indirect jibe at the controversy on his inclusion in the 4x400m relay finale in Glasgow. The athlete seemingly hit back at the allegations that the USATF exercised favoritism by picking him in the final team on Sunday.

On March 3, Lyles, for many, was a surprise inclusion in the final team for the 4x400m relay race at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. He competed in the event with Team USA and helped them win the silver medal.

However, Lyles' surprise entrance into the team did not sit well with many, with Fred Kerley implying that he wasn't happy with USATF's team selection. The reactions to the 26-year-old's selection uncorked massive discussion on the internet about similar incidents.

However, amidst the controversy, Noah Lyles seemingly took an indirect jibe at the allegations placed against him of experiencing favoritism under the USATF. He shared his thoughts on his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle and wrote,

"A few things I have learned early in my career. Being marketable sells. Medals don’t bring likeness. Politics Is in everything"

Kerley, who won the 4x400m relay in the 2019 World Championships in Doha, was one of the foremost athletes to call out USATF for the unexpected changes in the 4x400m final.

"@usatf y’all play that favoritism like mf. Yall like puppets. For sure yes man."

2012 London Olympics gold medalist Bianca Knight also shared her take on X. She wrote,

"This is why you guys have to pay attention. Our sport is more about storylines than it is ability. If a big name says they want to get X amount of medals at a major championship, things will be moved around to make that happen. It’s been happening."

Lyles had an impressive run of 45.68 in the third leg, where he did not give up any ground to keep his team first. However, the USA finished behind Belgium by a margin of just 0.06 seconds.

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Noah Lyles has already expressed his desire to compete in the 4x400m relay race in Paris

Lyles at World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 - Day Three

Noah Lyles won three gold medals at the 2023 World Athletics Championships — in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. In a few months' time, he conveyed his desire to compete in the 4x400m relay race as his fourth gold medal-winning opportunity at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

During an interview with World Athletics in December 2023, Lyles shared how he came across his 4x400m relay race wish. The athlete shared that one of his friends reminded him of his brilliance in the mentioned category during his high school days. He apparently encouraged Lyles to compete in the 4x400m relay race for his ‘fourth medal.’

Lyles said in the interview:

"I was talking to a close friend and he’s like: ‘I already know you’re going to win three golds at the Olympics. I want you to win four. I remember when you were in high school, I watched you at Penn Relays go from second to last to first in the 4x400m, chasing down all those Jamaicans - there’s your fourth medal.’

He added:

“I’ve never had somebody tell me something that has thrown my out-of-the-box thinking to inside-the-box, but that was like: okay, I’m not going to say no to that. Because after what I did at Budapest and seeing what my body can handle, if I train for it, okay, let’s take a shot. It’s the last race, there’s nothing to lose. If I’m in shape for it and I’ve trained for it all year, sure let’s take a crack at it. If they allow me, if they need me and they are willing - let’s go, let’s take it.”