By American sprint star Noah Lyles has expressed his desire for a signature shoe following his dramatic victory in the Olympic 100 meters final in Paris. Lyles, who previously secured gold at last year’s World Championships, clinched the Olympic title by a mere 0.005 seconds ahead of Jamaican runner Kishane Thompson.
Lyles, 27, drew a comparison to basketball legend Michael Jordan, emphasizing the need for a shoe bearing his name. “I want my own shoe. I want my own trainer. That’s serious. I want a sneaker,” Lyles declared. “There ain’t no money in spikes; there’s money in sneakers. Even Michael Johnson didn’t have his own sneaker. For how many medals we bring back, for the notoriety we get, the fact that hasn’t happened, that’s crazy to me. That needs to happen.”
Running a personal best of 9.79 seconds, Lyles secured his first Olympic gold medal, though the outcome was confirmed only after a photo finish. Lyles admitted he initially thought Thompson had won. “After the race, when we were waiting for the names to come up, I came over and said to Kishane, ‘I think you’ve got that one, big dog,'” Lyles recounted. “When my name popped up, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I am amazing.’ I wasn’t ready to see my name.”
Lyles now aims to replicate his success in the 200m and 4x100m relay, similar to his achievements at the World Championships. “I’m pretty confident, I can’t lie,” he stated. “I’ll be winning. When they come off the turn, they will be depressed. The 200m is my better event, and now I got a PB in the 100m, I’m ready to take it to the 200m.”
This victory redeems Lyles’ performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he finished third in the 200m and failed to make the US team for the 100m. Reflecting on his motivation, Lyles revealed, “I was fueled as soon as I saw this [bronze medal] in my hand. The journey started after 2021 when I got the bronze medal and I said, ‘I have to change.’ Now I am going around as the Olympic champion. I have that title as the world’s fastest man. This has been years in the making. This is the one I wanted. I wanted to prove that I’m the man amongst all of them. I’m the wolf amongst wolves.”
Lyles also issued a playful challenge to his friend Snoop Dogg, who has been in Paris supporting Team USA. “If Snoop wants to set up, let’s set it up, and we will race,” Lyles said.
