Noah Lyles reacts to Shamier Little claiming Alexis Ohanian's Athlos track meet being 'Black very turnt, vibey'

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Sep 29, 2024 01:14 GMT

Olympic champion Noah Lyles recently reacted to Shamier Little's thoughts about the Athlos NYC and its impact on women's sports. The inaugural edition was held on September 26 at Icahn Stadium in New York City.

Shamier Little had recently talked about how she felt at the Athlos NYC meet, where she participated in the 400m event. In her words:

"Someone asked me how Athlos differed from other meets being put on and, tbh it's just very....Black. Very turnt. Very vibey. Very cultured. Very exciting."

To this, Noah Lyles responded by posting on his X account:

"Pop culture x [shake hands emoji] Track and Field"

Previously, the Olympic champion had talked highly of the way athletes would be introduced at the Athlos NYC. In his words:

"I love these introductions at @athlos I want to hear even more energy when announcing these Women!!! Forget trying to sound professional let’s get loud and extra!"

Alexis Ohanian's Athlos NYC is a women's-only track league which had prizes of more than $600000 at stake. The inaugural edition had 36 athletes from all over the world competing in six events.

The event was launched with great fanfare, with Megan Thee Stallion giving a special performance at the event as well. Shamier Little took part in the women's 400m, where she finished fourth, taking home a prize money of $8000.

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Noah Lyles on bringing about a transformation in track and field

Noah Lyles in action at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Noah Lyles has created a significant impact in the domain of track and field, especially at the Paris Olympics. Against all expectations, the American sprinter had won the Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m, ending a gold medal drought for USA in this event after 20 years.

In a recent interview with 'The Philadelphia Inquirer', Lyles talked about what impact his race has had on track and field, and what changes he would like to see in the future. When asked about where he sees the sport a decade from now, he replied:

"I’m always going to talk about marketing. I’m also going to say it’s not always just about the performances, you have to do more than just perform. You look at a lot of other sports and they’re doing media, they’re doing press conferences, they’re doing meet-and-greets and all the extra pieces like magazine covers and photoshoots. I feel that our sport is so focused on the win, we haven’t gotten the idea of the other pieces to help us grow and interact with the world."

Noah Lyles also recounted his experience of the 200m event, which he ran despite being afflicted with COVID-19. He said:

".....The last Olympics, I got bronze and I was so defeated and then this year I grabbed the gold in the 100-meter but again grabbed the bronze in the 200-meter and that was the hardest medal I ever had to fight for. I felt so accomplished because I felt like it was only something that I could truly do."

If not for COVID-19, Noah Lyles could've achieved the rare distinction of an Olympic double in both 100m and 200m. Yet, compared to a lone bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Noah Lyles returned from the Paris Olympics with a better medal haul.