PARIS: Noah Lyles will look to banish his Tokyo demons when he takes to the Olympic track in Paris in his continued bid to fill the void left by Usain Bolt.
Lyles took a big step towards that dream by winning triple gold (100, 200 and 4x100m relay) at last year's world championships in Budapest.
That led to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe dubbing Lyles, whose contract renewal with Adidas this season was described as the biggest since Bolt's with Puma, an “absolute rock star.”
Fear-locked rapper more than rock star, the 27-year-old American's efforts in the Hungarian capital were captured in the Netflix documentary series titled “Sprint.”
It firmly put the spotlight on the confident Lyles, who looks more than ready to bring the track back into the wider consciousness and whose brashness was clear for all to hear in a litany of quotable soundbites.
“You have to have the mindset of an icon,” Lyles said of being a top sprinter in “Sprint.”
“I truly believe that the moment is not bigger than me, the moment was made for me.”
While many pundits insist that such a view is hardly rare for elite athletes, there's no doubt that his brash approach rubs many other people the wrong way, not least legions of NBA basketball players — and their fans — after Lyles questioned their claim to be real “world champions”.
Either way, the cameras will once again be on Lyles in Paris as he looks to improve on his Tokyo Games showing, where he came away with a bronze in the 200m.
“That bronze still burns a hole in my chest,” Lyles said last weekend after winning the 100m in a personal best of 9.81 seconds in a slight headwind at the London Diamond League.
“I'll be wearing it around during Paris just to remind myself that this is not the color we're coming back with.”
However, his victory in London left Lyles in high spirits and unafraid of Jamaican Kishane Thompson, this year's fastest man after his 9.77 seconds in Kingston last month.
“I hit everybody I touch,” he said. “I don't understand why Jamaicans are different. This is what I pray for, this is what I live for and I back myself up, right?”
Lyles, who suffered from chronic asthma as a child, added: “I know exactly where I am before Paris.
“The more people look at me, the better I perform, or at least that's what my therapist says. When the TV cameras are on me and people are there, I don't lose.”
The American is still hoping to complete an audacious four-event medal bid in Paris, adding the 4x400m relay to his repertoire.
He ruffled feathers at the indoor world in Glasgow in March when, after taking 60m silver behind teammate Christian Coleman, he was named in the 4x400m relay squad which also took silver.
It was a call that saw the US federation accused of favouritism.
“Let's just say a lot of people in the US were very, very, very upset that I ran the 4×400 and to that I would say 'run faster, push me out!'” Lyles said.
Bolt retired from the sport in 2017 after winning 11 world and eight Olympic gold medals.
Lyles, whose Budapest sprint double was the first since Bolt's at the 2015 Beijing worlds, said: “Usain Bolt has done it and he told me he sees what I'm doing and he respects it, it's great.
“I'm the guy who wants to move past being bank-dead. I want people to see me on the runway, but in GQ and my docuseries, and realize that I'm a cool guy too.
“Medals are the first step because then people notice you.
“Then you can go in different directions: fashion, music. You can start collaborating with other people, artists and the world.”
Lyles needs to continue his fine form into the Paris Olympics — the ultimate global championships for the American spectator — simply because he needs to keep winning medals to keep getting attention.
That was Bolt's strength and allure: His ability to dominate and win multiple gold medals at global championships.
Paris podiums attract Lyles.
