"I'm not here to brag how much I make"- Noah Lyles snubs his multimillion-dollar deals as he aims for legacy in track and field

By Marie Amani

Modified Jul 23, 2024 03:30 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

As he seeks to transform the sport before hanging his spikes, Noah Lyles wants track and field athletes to know that just like the NFL and NBA, they can also get paid well. The three-time world 200m champion insisted that he wants track athletes to learn to stand up for themselves and position themselves as brands.

Lyles noted that he was not interested in bragging about the money he makes but he wants the sport to grow through what he is doing. The American sprint king added that whenever he retires, he wants to leave a legacy where many athletes are making as much money as he is or even more.

At the start of the year, Lyles extended his deal with Adidas until 2028. The deal was said to be the richest contract in track and field since the retirement of the fastest man alive Usain Bolt. Bolt’s contract with Puma lasted from 2014 to 2017 and was valued at around $10 million a year.

However, Noah Lyles has remained tight-lipped about his contract, as per the terms and conditions with Adidas.

"Now people can say, 'Oh, maybe I do need to be focusing more on my interviews, how people perceive me, marketing, winning the medals and doing the stuff around it,'" Lyles told GQ Sport.

"I'm not here to try and brag how much I make. That's truly not my end goal. I truly want to make sure that when I leave the sport, there is more than just one athlete who's making the type of money that I'm making. Because I want it to grow," the Olympic 200m bronze medallist added.

Noah Lyles explains why he has yet to disclose details of his multimillion-dollar deal with Adidas

2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 8 - Source: Getty

Triple world champion Noah Lyles announced the extension of his contract with Adidas in February but has yet to reveal the details.

After the announcement, Noah Lyles’ management Global Athletics and Marketing, Inc. disclosed that the contract has extensive commitments on and off the track and is the richest contract since Usain Bolt hung his spikes.

In an interview with Citius Magazine, Noah Lyles explained why he was not at liberty to share the details of the contract.

"I definitely wish we were able to say how much it was, in fact, somebody made a tweet and they were doing some math off the 20 million that is assumed that Bolt made in 2017," Noah Lyles said.

"I’m not going to lie, there was a number that was very close to the real thing and I wished I could just say what it was. I asked Adidas multiple times if I could speak up but as you can see, I can’t tell you," he added.

Lyles signed with Adidas after turning professional in 2016, following his fourth-place finish in the men's 200m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

Over the years, Lyles has become a vital part of promoting the Adidas brand globally.