Noah Lyles frustrated with lack of motivation to improve track and field

By Sports Desk August 07, 2023

Noah Lyles will be on a double mission in Budapest later this month as he goes for World Championships sprint glory while trying to drag track and field into the modern age.

The charismatic 26-year-old, a two-time world 200m champion, has his own popular Youtube channel and organises fashion ‘walk-ins’ at athletics events.

He is also the driving force behind the latest Netflix sport documentary, focusing on sprinters, in which he will star along with fellow American Fred Kerley and Britain’s Dina-Asher Smith.

However, Lyles’ enthusiasm with track and field’s potential is tempered by his frustration at what he sees as the ambivalence of those in authority.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Noah Lyles (@nojo18)


“What’s wrong with track and field? How much time you got?,” he smiled.

 

“Let’s just say I’m a very ambitious individual. When I see growth in other areas of my life or places where I want it to be better, I’m very eager to be like, ‘how can I help?’

“What I’m realising is where there are athletes like that and people like me, the people who are actually in charge don’t have a goal, or don’t want to create a goal and it’s been a very frustrating realisation.

“Where I’ve seen a lot of people make pushes and be ready to step out of their comfort zone, again there’s a lot of people who aren’t and that’s disappointing.

“I was having a conversation with another athlete who wants to make a track meet in his city and that’s cool.

“But he wants to get it ratified and was struggling with that. That’s just a risk they’re not willing to take.

“The hoops you have to jump through… this shouldn’t be a hard process, just create a one-day track meet, get some advertising behind it, invite athletes.

“But it’s not one of those things that can be done and I feel his pain because I have goals like that. It should be simple but it’s not and people are just ignoring the idea of it as a whole.”

Last month Lyles won the 200m at the London Stadium in the race in which Zharnel Hughes broke John Regis’ British record.

 

Lyles came out on top in the warm-up for the World Championships (John Walton/PA)

 

The man from Florida will face a gruelling schedule in Hungary as he bids for glory on three fronts – to retain his 200m crown and add golds in the 100m and the relay.

“Yeah, I’ve recently had a look at it and my chiropractor has already asked what day he should come,” he added.

“We got the 100m rounds and then two days off, which is nice, but then another four rounds – three in the 200 and then the last round of the 4×100 finals – so it’s going to be really busy. But I’m confident in my team that we can get it done.

“I’ve qualified for the 100, and I already have gold medals in the 200 and the 4×100 from 2019, so I definitely want to add another gold medal to that.”

Related items

  • KC wins third straight Championship of America 4x400m title at Penn Relays; JC wins 4x800m KC wins third straight Championship of America 4x400m title at Penn Relays; JC wins 4x800m

    Kingston College made it three Championship of America 4x400m titles in a row with a comfortable win in the event on the third and final day of the 128th Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Saturday.

    Their quartet of Antonio Forbes, Amal Glasgow, Roshawn Lee and Marcinho Rose combined to run 3:11.86 to win ahead of Excelsior (3:12.94) and Bullis School (3:13.10).

    Elsewhere, Jamaica College won their second Championship of America 4x800m relay in three years.

    Their team of Nellie Amberton, Samuel Creary, Rasheed Pryce and Kemarrio Bygrave produced a time of 7:42.37 to win ahead of St. John’s College (7:44.66) and Central Bucks West (7:45.99).

  • Excelsior leads Jamaican 1-2-3 in Championship of America High School Boys 4x100m at Penn Relays Excelsior leads Jamaican 1-2-3 in Championship of America High School Boys 4x100m at Penn Relays

    Excelsior High emerged victorious in the Championship of America High School Boys 4x100m on the third and final day at the 128th Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Saturday.

    Their quartet of Ryeem Walker, Damor Miller, Malike Nugent and Lennon Green combined to run 40.45 to secure the school’s first win in the event since 1967.

    Kingston College (Daniel Clarke, Yourie Lawrence-Clarke, Nyrone Wade, Marcinho Rose) were second in 40.53 and Herbert Morrison (Ky-Mani Hemmings, Tavaine Stewart, Chance Segree, De Andre Daley) completed a Jamaican 1-2-3 with 40.56 in third.

     

  • Smith produces season’s best to win long jump at Texas Invitational Smith produces season’s best to win long jump at Texas Invitational

    Texas junior Ackelia Smith produced an NCAA leading performance to take top spot on day one of the Texas Invitational at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on Friday.

    The 22-year-old reigning NCAA champion produced a season’s best 7.10m, her first jump over 7m this season, to win ahead of Trinidadian Puma athlete Tyra Gittens (6.72m) and UTSA’s Ida Breigan (6.65m).

    This is a welcome return to form for Smith who suffered a torn hamstring at the NCAA Indoor Championships in early March.

    Smith was Jamaica’s national champion in the long jump in 2022 and was a finalist in both the long and triple jump at that year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.