Noah Lyles shows off World Championship gold medal during NFL match at MetLife stadium with Taylor Swift in attendance
2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Noah Lyles recently showed off his 2023 world championship gold medal at the MetLife Stadium on Monday, October 2. It was an NFL game day, and the stadium was filled with 82,104 attendees to watch the much-awaited match between the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
The intense match between the two teams concluded with the Chiefs’ victory, with a final score of 20 - 23. However, the game wasn't the only attraction point for fans. They were also fascinated by the presence of pop music sensation Taylor Swift at the stadium who was rooting for Kansas City Cheifs. Consequently, the game day drew nearly 27 million online viewers.
Taking advantage of the massive viewership of the match, track and field star, Noah Lyles performed an unfathomable gesture. The three-time 200m world champion gracefully walked to the center of the field, proudly raising his gold medal from this year’s championship for the millions of viewers tuning in to the match.
Nevertheless, the commentator of the match introduced the athlete to the viewers as,
“The fastest man in the world with the world championships in the 100m and 200m - Noah Lyles. One of the big stars you will see next summer.”
Noah Lyles has actively spoken about the importance of increasing track and field popularity. He has strived to create awareness about himself as an athlete and to expose the sport to the world.
This year at the World Championship in Budapest, the 26-year-old created history by achieving a double sprint, claiming gold medals in the 100m and 200m races. Additionally, he secured his third gold medal at the championship in the 4x100m relay race.
Noah Lyles on how the coverage of track and field can be improved
Indeed, many athletes in track and field do not receive the popularity and coverage they deserve. Moreover, Noah Lyles believes that media can help increase the popularity of the sport and its athletes.
In one of his recent Instagram interactions with his fans, Lyles was asked about the aspects of track and field coverage he would change and explained how content creators can help improve its coverage.
He wrote in his story,
"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."
Furthermore, he added,
"Personally, 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," he said.