“Always Looking to Icon Status”: Track Veterans Discuss Noah Lyles’ Potential Strategy to Stay in the Global Top 5

Noah Lyles has gone on to prove just how dedicated he has been to his goals and aims, participating in and acing multiple sprint categories. While the former world champion wants to now stay on the throne, track veterans Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green discuss what could be the best approach for him to remain in the top five sprinters worldwide.

This year, Lyles faced many challenges, not just from his teammates trying to beat him on track but also from international athletes like Kishane Thompson, who came close to outsmarting him in the 100m Paris Olympics final. Emerging as a winner amongst them is already a significant feat in itself.

Yet, both Gatlin and Green felt there could be more to the show than just competing at certain levels. Firstly, they felt Lyles should branch out and aim to establish a record in the 100m, just like he did for the 200m.

“He’s always looking to icon status. And for him to be icon status, he either has to be number one in his country or number one period.”

A unique trait of Lyles that both the veterans seem to point out was how when on track, his only contender was the clock, not people. This established his dominance on the track and made him an elite athlete compared to the other sprinters.

Something that Green also noted in the case of Lyles was how challenging his position was compared to the times when they sprinted. This made his aim to bag the world title slightly harder compared to the time the veterans competed.

“The difference between that time of you now and him, Noah has maybe four or five guys that could stop him from doing that.”

This takes us back to the Paris Olympics 100m sprint, where the iconic moment of every player crossing the finish line within milliseconds of each other went viral. The pace and speed of every contender at the time matched the champion’s, and while Lyles did win the medal, he did so with a hair-thin difference.

Now, with the next season coming up soon, Gatlin and Green hope to see Lyles beat the clock to win some records. Knowing the Olympian, fans also know that he might aim high and somehow successfully deliver upon it too.