The 2023 track and field season shed a lot of light on numerous athletes who demonstrated their abilities throughout the year, including at the World Championships. This list featured Noah Lyles, who became the first athlete since Usain Bolt to win gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m races at the World Championships. It goes without saying that Lyles received a lot of attention after achieving the feat, however, most of them were for the wrong reasons.
As is customary, every major event like this has a lengthy post-race interview; and during that moment, the athlete made a bold statement about NBA players, saying, “World champions of what? The United States?” This strong assertion drew a lot of criticism from the popular league, as Lyles recounts in an exclusive interview with Dazed.
The 26-year-old recalled that he was dancing at a club after his victory when his phone started ringing non-stop. The track star who made the bold statement against the NBA had supporters and even the league’s major personalities mocking and criticizing him for the assertion, rather than congratulating him for the accolades he received at an international tournament for his country. However, the American sprinter had a less serious reaction to this feud, as he states:
“I thought it was funny! It was just a bunch of whiny babies getting mad because I said they don’t compete on a world level. Everyone was in such a tizzy!”
Lyles was unconcerned about the criticism because he knew he had given the world a reality check. According to him, he is simply puzzled by the fact that the North American National Basketball Association refers to its seasonal victors as “world champions,” despite the fact that they only compete among teams from the United States and Canada. Notably, this was not the first time the athletic star went viral after making such a comment; he has always come across trolls and critics.
Noah Lyles’ Opinion on his Backlash After the World Athletics Indoor Championships
The World Athletics Indoor Championships provided a new test for the six-time world champion. The USATF officials brought Noah Lyles in to replace Fred Kerley, offering him the chance to compete in the 4×400-meter relay.
The athlete also did not hesitate, taking on the challenge fearlessly and securing the quickest third leg in the event; however, Team USA only managed to capture a silver medal, prompting critics to blast Lyles. In an interview with Yahoo Sports, the track star claimed that no athlete is guaranteed a spot on the relays.
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According to him, every runner that spectators watch performs to the best of their abilities because they have something to prove to the selectors. Lyles explained the brutal reality of the sport, stating that there are no favorites and that competitors like him must give their best every season in order to compete in such major tournaments as the Olympics or the World Championships.
