"I see myself as the Anti-hero" - Noah Lyles weighs in on getting into controversies while competing in major track races

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Aug 19, 2024 09:10 GMT

Noah Lyles recently called himself the "anti-hero" in his quest to revolutionize the sport. Lyles has always been vocal about the lack of media attention track and field and its athletes receive.

The American sprinter, who clinched two medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, admitted to diving into controversies to transform the sport. Following his career's most highlighted victory at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Lyles called out the NBA players for referring to themselves as "World Champions," stating they only represent the best from the United States.

"You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA finals and they have "world champion" on their head," he said. "World champion of what? The United States? Don't get me wrong. I love the U.S., at times, but that ain't the world."

Following his recent victory at the Paris Olympics, the 100m Olympic gold medalist took a jab at the NFL wide Tyreek Hill after the latter asserted confidence in defeating the sprinter.

"Ummm, what's that guy, what's the cheetah guy from football? Well, I can't remember his name," Lyles said. "What's the football player who thinks he's fast name? Tyreek Hill."

In a conversation with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson during the Nightcap interview, Lyles said although he doesn't view himself as a "hero" through his frequent controversies, he believes they are crucial to pushing the sport to new heights.

"I'm changing the sport you know I'm trying to move forward as much as possible," Lyles said. "In terms of being the villain and being the hero, I see myself as an anti-hero. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty." (at 24:55).

Noah Lyles' campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Noah Lyles before competing in the men's 200m final during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

Noah Lyles had a remarkable outing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The American sprinter bagged his first Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m after securing a needle-thin gap ahead of Jamaica's Kishane Thompson.

While Thompson clocked a stunning time of 9.79 (.789) seconds, Lyles clinched the lead with 9.79 (.784) seconds. They were followed by Fred Kerley, who listed 9.81 seconds.

Lyles then collected a bronze medal in the 200m. That run was particularly impressive given that Lyles was suffering from COVID-19 - a fact that he refused to disclose until after the race.

Noah Lyles followed Letsile Tebogo (19.46) and Kenny Bednarek (19.62) to clock 19.70 seconds.