PARIS — On the cusp of securing an Olympic bid in the 100-meter dash, Noah Lyles wore a pristine navy blue Gucci suit, covered in the monochrome logo, with three white stripes down the side of the pants — part of a collab between Adidas and the luxury Italian brand. He carried a briefcase featuring the legendary Yu-Gi-Oh trading card Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He had Snoop Dogg do the honors of unveiling.
That’s high fashion. That’s anime. That’s hip-hop. Three cultures, three industries, merging into one moment. For a sprinter.
A couple weeks later, he was a Netflix star.
It’s been an epic runway to Paris for Lyles. He couldn’t have scripted it better. And this he indeed scripted. His stated effort to transcend track and field, to step into the realm of celebrity typically reserved for stars of major sports, has been blatantly choreographed. So much so, it rubs some people the wrong way.
Many prefer their athletes cloaked in humility. They want feats that require insurmountable confidence, a greatness born of audacity, but a personality befitting a community leader. But Lyles is aiming to do the opposite of cramming his listed 5-foot-10 frame and 6-foot-9 personality into a traditional box.
“Everybody has their own vibe. I’m a showman,” Lyles declared in the documentary series “Sprint” on Netflix.
“I feel like almost an artistic director. You have all these other athletes as stars, rock stars, popular wherever they go. Track and field needs to be the same. And I’m not gonna be happy until I see that accomplished.”
Noah Lyles poses with a replica Eiffel Tower after winning the 200-meter at U.S. Olympic trials. In Paris, he’ll try for the 100-, 200-meter double. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Yes, it’s arrogant. Yes, it’s ambitious. And, yes, it’s working.
What’s been proven is this 27-year-old from Alexandria, Va., is undeniable. Love him or find him annoying, looking away is becoming increasingly difficult. Lyles operates as one studied on the ingredients of superstardom, realizing he must manufacture the hype his sport doesn’t offer inherently. He’s following a blueprint that’s worked many times over, one especially necessary in the age of entertainment saturation.
His swag, his connection to a multiplicity of cultures, makes him savvy at drawing eyes. He’s proven apt at harmonizing his worlds. He’s accomplished the first part of his plot. His name is in lights. He’s got the attention.
Only two questions remain at this point.
Question 1: Can he win big enough to make him a track and field legend?
Lyles began this journey in earnest by proclaiming his desire to become the world’s sprint king. Already preeminent in the 200 meters, he took on the glory of the sport: the 100-meter dash, endeavoring to occupy the unclaimed throne after Usain Bolt retired.
Lyles’ only Olympic medal thus far is a bronze medal in Tokyo. Still, Noahstradamus predicted he’d win gold in both the 100 and the 200 in Paris. A feat only eight Americans have accomplished, the last man to do it was Carl Lewis in 1984. (By the way, Bolt did it three straight Olympics — 2008, 2012 and 2016).
In true Lyles form, before the 2023 world championships, he fired a shot at the NBA Champions. Riling up the superstars he wants to join, tagging his name on the wall of a bigger palace.
He drew the ire of many NBA players and their fans. He was treated like a clout chaser, like a battle rapper looking to make a name for himself by dissing bigger names. But then Lyles went and won gold in both the 100 and the 200. He not only gave life to his Olympic goals but commanded the clout he was accused of chasing.
Noah Lyles flashes a Yu-Gi-Oh card after winning the 100-meter at U.S. Olympic trials. He debuts in Paris with this event on Saturday. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
That’s what is perhaps most impressive about Lyles. He’s one of the highlights of the athletics portion of the Summer Games because he’s actually produced at an incredible level. His antics in some ways overshadow just how stellar he’s performed.
He hasn’t lost a 200-meter race since the Tokyo Games, when he finished third. Not even a heat. That’s 25 straight wins heading into Paris. He’s maintained his dominance in the discipline despite adding another event.
He’s become so good in the 100 meters — in which he finished seventh at the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials — he joins Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson as the top favorites to win gold in Paris.
He could pull of the double. He could also win a third gold medal in the 4×100 relay. It would give him the credibility of precious metals to add to his bombast.
Question 2: Would that be enough? Would making American history make him a household name in America? Does calling his shot and delivering vault him into mainstream status?
Certainly, when you think of the track stars whose fame extended beyond the ceiling of their sport, it came with heroic feats. Lewis might be the biggest name ever in men’s track. Michael Johnson is one of those household names after he won the 200-meter and 400-meter double at the Atlanta Games in 1996. Other transcendent figures who pulled off the double Lyles is seeking: Florence Griffith-Joyner, Wilma Rudolph and Jesse Owens.
Gold medals in Paris are a critical step towards transcendence. He’d not only cement himself an Olympic champion, he’d be primed to fully take advantage of it with the 2028 Olympics coming to America. In Los Angeles no less. Four years of basking in Olympic glory, his name on the marquee of track and field’s big push to stick in America. Then he’d get to adorn the stage at home, when his nation can watch him live in prime time.
Lyles’ vision has some teeth.
While a segment of fans don’t vibe with athletes who talk before they produce, most all respect those who back up their braggadocio.
“I’m a true believer that the moment isn’t bigger than me,” Lyles said on Netflix. “The moment was made for me.”
He without a doubt understands the rewards of a pre-declared greatness. Even Michael Jordan, among the most transcendent of all athletes, declared it easy to talk the talk when ahead, but the “sign of a good man” is one who can talk “when it’s even score.”
When Lyles takes the track at Stade de France on Saturday, the score in the Olympics will be 0-0. And Lyles has been doing lots of talking.
With his mouth. With his social media. With his rap songs. With his wardrobe. With Yu-Gi-Oh cards. With his body art. With his Apple TV documentary. With his Adidas contract.
All that’s left is for him to talk with his feet. As he always seems to do. If Lyles pulls this off in Paris, he may yet find the transcendence he’s seeking.
GO DEEPER
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(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo: Tim Clayton / Corbis via Getty Images)
