Noah Lyles reveals the 'best spikes' for sprinting and they're not what he wore at the Paris Olympics

Reigning 100m World and Olympic champion, Noah Lyles, is one of the fastest sprinters in the world. Recently, the American shared his opinion on what is the best pair of spikes for sprinting.

Lyles has partnered with Adidas since 2016, and runs in shoes provided by the brand. In 2024, the sprinter extended his contract with the company till 2029, guaranteeing that fans will spot him in new Adidas shoes over the coming years.

The 27-year-old's partnership with Adidas has seen him win six World Championships gold and three Olympic medals. Recently, a fan on Instagram asked the sprinter to name the best pair of spikes. To this, Noah Lyles replied by sharing a photo of his black Adizero Prime SP 2 and writing,

“Prime SP 2.”

Via Noah Lyles' Instagram

At the Paris Olympics, Lyles sported a pair of Adizero Y-3 spikes, which led him to his maiden Olympic gold medal as he won the 100m dash over Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. The 2024 Games also saw the American win bronze in the 200m.

Prior to this, Lyles wore the Adizero Prime SP 2 spikes for multiple major competitions, including the 2022 World Championships, the 2023 World Championships, and the 2024 World Indoor Championships.

At the 2022 Championships, Lyles won gold in the men's 200m sprint. A year later, he repeated that feat while also winning the 100m and 4x100m relay titles. At the 2024 Glasgow World Indoor Championships, the sprinter won silver medals in the 60m and the 4x400m relay.

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Noah Lyles on wanting his own signature shoe

Lyles at the World Athletics Awards 2023 (Image Source: Getty)

Noah Lyles’ Paris Olympics campaign started out on an incredible note as the American stormed to gold in the 100m, a feat no American had achieved since 2004. After his victory, Lyles took some time to speak to the press, and explained that the one thing he hoped to get out of his win was a pair of signature shoes. He said (as quoted by Andscape),

“I want my own shoe. I want my own trainer. I’m dead serious. I want a sneaker, ain’t no money in [track] spikes. There’s money in sneakers and even Michael Johnson didn’t have his own sneaker. I feel like for how many medals [track athletes] bring back, for all the notoriety [track athletes] get, the fact that that hasn’t happened yet is crazy to me.”

After his gold medal performance in the 100m, Noah Lyles wrapped up his time in Paris with a bronze in the 200m, finishing behind Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek. The sprinter hasn't competed since then, and is scheduled to begin his 2025 season at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix.