The love story between Noah Lyles and track and field has seen its ups and downs. However, in the end, no one can separate them, as he genuinely adores the sport more than any other athlete, and he never hesitates to discuss its challenges. The financial aspect of track and field is something that has bothered the American athlete a lot, but it rose further when many of his demands weren’t fulfilled.

Indeed, Lyles is a top performer in his sport, but he still faces restrictions that prevent him from obtaining certain things. He has been ignored in many instances, like demanding his signature shoe from his brand sponsor, and directly, it has led him to call out many brands out there on a specific issue where athletes like him face mistreatment over many things, especially track outfits.

Noah Lyles wants to broaden the horizon in track fashion

Recently, Noah Lyles has been having the time of his life after winning his career-first Olympic gold medal. Indeed, his abilities brought him the fame he deserved, and he also used this opportunity to raise awareness about issues within the sport. This time, he discussed track fashion in the latest episode of the Beyond The Records Podcast on YouTube, where he was joined by co-host Rai Benjamin and guests Tara-Davis and Hunter Woodhall.

These notable athletes of Team USA were talking about sponsors, and when it came to brands, especially apparel, there’s no less expert than Lyles himself. Indeed, the “Lewis Hamilton of track and field” has always been a fashion icon in the sport, bringing his signature style to the table during any kind of track meet. And he has an issue with the streamlined process in the sport, voicing his concerns, stating, “Usually when I get into business meetings and, you know, I’m talking to investors, I’m always telling them, ‘Guys, this is a star-driven sport, and we refuse to act like it is.’”

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Being an Olympic champion and a track icon, Lyles has many major brands behind him. However, whenever he tried to put out his words, he was always overlooked. He wanted to stress to the investors of the sport about the importance of stardom in track and field, but how did they respond? Despite making a point, Lyles revealed the reply he got, stating, “Uh, so many shoe companies are just like, ‘Oh no, like everybody gets treated the same way.’ It was like, ‘So you’re going to treat somebody who has a gold medal the same as you treat somebody that didn’t make a team?’ No, this is star-driven, you know, and we need to act like that because we are individuals, and it’s so hard because we have to do so much of the work, and that’s, I mean, that’s really what I think.”

The brands, from their perspective, are following a protocol. However, Lyles aspires to break free from this conventional norm and pursue a unique approach. He’s not wrong, as track fans do like athletes who express themselves just more than track athletes, and guess who’s like this? Lyles, obviously! While he doesn’t discriminate among his peers, he wants the brands to focus on different types of apparel for different types of athletes. Lyles has given his all to earn that gleaming gold medal, and he wants to have a separate outfit from others on the field, who have never held that Olympic gold medal with their hands.

How much controversy surrounds a single, distinctive piece of fabric? Nonetheless, the athlete deserves whatever he’s demanding, and it’s not the first time that he has spoken about such fashion issues in track and field. Yes, after grabbing his Olympic gold medal, Lyles made a serious demand to his main sponsor, Adidas, which became a topic for the community to discuss.

A straightforward confession to Adidas

For a long time, Noah Lyles and Adidas have been together. When in 2016 he started his professional career, the shoe giant chose him and his brother, Josephus, owing to their performances on track. And after all these years, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lyles finally grabbed his career’s first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 100m finals by defeating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just 0.005 seconds. Indeed, the American’s remarkable performance captured everyone’s attention, prompting him to seize the opportunity to request personalized shoes from Adidas.

“I want my own shoe. I want a sneaker. Ain’t no money in spikes. You listening, Adidas?” Lyles made his priorities clear during an interview with Coley Harvey. He had just won a historic Olympic gold medal. Indeed, he won the men’s 100m gold medal 20 years after Justin Gatlin, and his expectations were high.

Previously, in the sport, athletes have had custom shoes, like Michael Johnson’s 1998 Nike Air Zoom JST. The shoe was fully black with gold stripes on it, referring to Johnson’s gold medals. So, a similar request was made by Lyles, but eventually, he received nothing from his main sponsor.