After a roaring success at the Olympics, track and field athletes are now gearing up for other competitions to sharpen their skills at. But one that has taken the world by storm seems to be the Grand Slam Track that Michael Johnson announced earlier this season. And one of the top contenders he has been eyeing to get on board is Noah Lyles.
It’s no secret that Lyles has been one of the fastest sprinters across the past few years, and he only seems to be upping the level. Loud-mouthed, seemingly brash, and an enigma on the camera, he seems to have charmed and wowed several with his talent.
And now, Johnson has joined the list of people impressed by the 27-year-old sprinter, aiming to get him on a contract for his meet. The Grand Slam Track’s main purpose is to incentivize track and field by offering athletes an opportunity to compete, put their best foot forward, and win cash prizes.
In a conversation with TMZ Sports, Johnson talked about how he aimed to pick and choose the fastest American athletes on track for a contractual run. These included Lyles, Gabby Thomas, Cole Hocker, and more, who already made a track record of being the fastest during the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Johnson had already signed world record holder and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone earlier in June. The purpose of getting her on board, in particular, was not only to showcase her as an ambassador for the launch of the Grand Slam but also to encourage female dominance in track events.
With all that said, Lyles also recently mentioned talking to Johnson and the organizers of the Grand Slam meet. However, things regarding his participation seem to be dicey on his end.
Lyles stresses accessible coverage for the Grand Slam Track
At a time when track and field is slowly increasing in popularity, fans around the world are slowly showing interest in various events. The Paris Olympics expectedly did its best to draw the attention of those wanting to check out sprinting.
However, what came as another surprise in terms of increasing viewership of track and field was the Netflix series – ‘Sprint’. People not only got hooked on the sport but also began following the athletes, wishing they could see more of them.
This prompted a conversation where Lyles pointed out how important accessible television coverage was. This was also the reason, he confessed, for his hesitance towards the Grand Slam Track meet since he hadn’t heard of a broadcaster being on board yet.
Accessibility was important to ensure viewership, popularity, and marketing, and until the organizers assured him of that, Lyles expressed some skepticism surrounding the competition.
