Noah Lyles is keen for a Hall of Fame Awards to be introduced for track and field athletes. The American sprinter is gearing up for the Shanghai Diamond League set to take place on April 27. Lyles is a three-time world championships winner and 5x Diamond League winner and will be determined to add more at the upcoming meet.
Lyles, 26, recently expressed his desire for a Hall of Fame Awards for track and field. He replied to British track and field athlete Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake's tweet:
"Need a Track & Field Hall of Fame!!! Glamorizing our sport will allow its status amongst the masses to grow and give it a greater allure as well as grandeur."
Lyles, the third-ranked male track and field athlete in the world, agreed saying:
"I been Telling Mark Wetmore this. We need one really bad"
Blogger Track Spice commented there is one but it's not really a typical Hall of Fame Awards. They said:
"We need the glam, photographs, promotions for it, the walk ins, big prizes, covered on tv, hype around it, making it one of the most prestigious awards in Track and Field!"
Lyles highlighted that the last person inducted was from 1990. He added:
"They are not even active anymore. This does not count."
"I'm kind of more the guy who likes to assert his dominance throughout the whole year": Noah Lyles
Lyles has been working hard to close in on Usain Bolt's world records. He recently told CNN Sports he has a different approach compared to the Jamaican legend who retired back in 2017.
The American sprinter said:
"I'm kind of more the guy who likes to assert his dominance throughout the whole year."
Lyles added that he's been looking to improve year-on-year:
"Now, if we look at last year in 2023, it was: 'Okay, this is this the blueprint for 2024'," he said. "We nailed that so well, that now we're just in an automatic pilot mode."
The 5x Diamond League winner also said he felt reinvigorated after the Tokyo Olympics. Lyles said:
"It's increased my drive that much more. Every time I get on the track, every world championships, every race I get into, everybody can see that that wasn't my goal and that I have way more to give."
Lyles would be aiming for the gold in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays apart from the 100m and 200m disciplines at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. He has achieved personal bests in the 100m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and 200m at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
Lyles, who won a gold medal in the 200m at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, is determined to add more Olympic golds and records to his name.