"We don't need anyone else" - Michael Johnson addresses Noah Lyles' absence in Grand Slam Track with bold claim

Michael Johnson addressed Noah Lyles' absence in his Grand Slam Track roster for the inaugural 2025 season. The 100m Olympic champion could still compete as a challenger, and Johnson is ready to take him in if he wants.

GST is poised to be the next big thing in track and field and will kick off with its first slam in Kingston, Jamaica, later this year. While the league has signed some of the fastest sprinters, including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas, it has failed to attract two of the biggest stars in the game, Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson.

Johnson addressed their absence during an interview with TalkSport during Super Bowl weekend and said while the league had already signed its required 48 racers, they would continue to talk to Lyles.

“We’ve already signed our 48 Racers. We have 48 Challengers that we now will assign for each individual Slam; they can come in if they want. So yeah, we’ll continue talking to Noah," he said

He further clarified that they didn't need to sign anyone else for their inaugural season and would eventually attract all of the fastest people in coming years.

“We don’t need anyone else. We will take all of the fastest people, but we don’t have to have them. Ultimately, we will get everyone, because this is year one, this is where you want to be if you’re a premier track and field athlete.

“We have the highest prize money ever paid in the sport, we have the most accessible [meets]."

GST will debut with a massive $12.6 million prize pot, the highest-ever prize money in the sport. Athletes must compete in two events per slam, and the winner will receive $100,000.

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Michael addresses Noah Lyles’ concern about signing with Grand Slam Track

Noah Lyles at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Speaking during an interview with LetsRun.com in November 2024, Noah Lyles revealed he wouldn't sign with Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track until he saw the league’s broadcasting partner.

“Until I see a TV sponsor, I can’t make a decision. Being the Olympic champion, I’ve already come in with a lot of accolades and a lot of things where I don’t need monetary value, but I really need marketing value.”

Fortunately for Lyles, Johnson signed with free-to-air The CW Network, while NBC’s Peacock will be the live-streaming partner.

“One of the things that Noah was rightly complaining about, is the fact that outside the Olympics, it’s hard for people to find this product, to find this sport, because it’s not on network television," Johnson told TalkSport

“Not only are we on free-to-air network television on The CW, we are simultaneously streaming on Peacock, right. So there is no track meet – there may not be any sport – is existence right now that is more accessible than Grand Slam Track," he added

While Lyles' time to sign for the GST’s inaugural season is over, he could still compete as a challenger when the league kicks off in Kingston, Jamaica, on April 4.