Noah Lyles has called for his own personalised trainer after winning the most dramatic Olympic 100m final in history – noting that not even the US track and field legend Michael Johnson had one made for him.
The American has long insisted that he wanted to be a global influencer by winning three gold medals in Paris, but after his victory over the Jamaican Kishane Thompson he upped his ambitions even further.
Lyles, who is the biggest star of the new Netflix Sprint documentary, said he deserved it after adding the Olympic title to his three world championship titles in Budapest last year.
“I want my own shoe – I want my own trainer,” said Lyles, who is sponsored by Adidas. “I am dead serious. There is no money in spikes. Even Michael Johnson didn’t have his own sneaker. For how many medals we bring back, for the notoriety that we get, the fact that hasn’t happened is crazy.”
The American rapper Snoop Dogg was among the fans inside the Stade de France and Lyles even challenged him to a race. “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,” he said.
However, afterwards Lyles admitted that he had feared he had lost the race in a photo-finish. “After the race, we were waiting for names to pop,” he said. “I am honest, I came over and told Kishane, ‘I think you’ve got the Olympics, big dog.’ He was in lane four. I was in lane seven. I couldn’t really see what was happening.
“I was fully prepared to see his name pop up. To see mine, I was like: ‘Goodness gracious, I’m incredible.’ This is the one I wanted. Everybody came prepared for the fight and I wanted to prove that I’m the man among all of them. I’m the wolf among wolves.”
Lyles will be back on the track in the heats of the men’s 200m on Monday and believes he will win gold and run a time that could challenge Usain Bolt’s world record.
“I am pretty confident, I cannot lie,” he said. “Kenny Bednarek put out a fast time in the trials. That definitely woke me up. None of them are winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed.”
But Fred Kerley, who won bronze and was seated next to Lyles in the press conference, rolled his eyes as Lyles spoke. “You’re talking shit, man,” he said.
