"I believe influencers can be a big key" - Noah Lyles on how the coverage of track and field events can be bettered
Noah Lyles revealed the aspects he would change about the track and field coverage on Instagram. The six-time world champion also highlighted that many athletes do not get the recognition they deserve to help boost their popularity in the sports world.
Recently, when Noah Lyles conducted a Q&A session on Instagram, a fan asked about the aspects of track and field coverage that he would change. Lyles was also questioned about how content creators can help improve its coverage. To this, the Olympic bronze medalist answered,
"This is a great question. The thing is I believe influencers can be a big key to helping the new wave of track and field. Unfortunately, they just don’t have as many resources."
He further added,
"Personal If I find someone I believe is doing a great job I try and aid them as much as possible because together we can tell stories to new demographics and people who might not watch our sport."
Noah Lyles started his professional athletic career at the age of 12 but was only globally recognized at 22. He participated in the 200m event at the Lausanne Diamond League in 2019, where he clocked a stunning 19.50s.
His clock time became the eighth fastest ever run. Following this incredible achievement, Lyles’s career and popularity received a huge boost. The American athlete won his first 200m gold medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. From here on, he became an indispensable asset for the media.
Noah Lyles left frustrated after receiving zero pictures from his track and field meet
On May 21 2023, Noah Lyles competed at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix where he was defeated by Christian Coleman in the 100m event. After competing at the meet, Lyles expressed his disappointment on Twitter about not receiving any pictures of him from the competition.
He expressed in his Twitter post that better coverage was required for athletes to get their pictures after meets. Lyles explained that the current situation regarding pictures was horrible and it hampers a sports personality’s online presence, as time is an impactful factor on social media.
Furthermore, he also spoke about hiring his own photographer,
“I shouldn’t have to hire a photographer when the track meet has already taken away my right to decide who can and can’t take pictures of me,” said Lyles.
He was also quoted saying:
“Also deny where my photographer can and can’t take photos. At that point, I lost money on my investment.”
In that championship, Lyles finished second clocking 9.80s, while Coleman finished first with a time of 9.78s.