'They want to root for someone, or root against someone,' Lewis said
Ever since Usain Bolt hung up the spikes, track and field has been searching for the new face of the sport and might find it this weekend.
Noah Lyles is on a quest to win four gold medals. The American sprinter will run in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, while his status for the 4x400m relay is up in the air (although he is prepping for it).
One may think that it gets boring after a while to see the same person win all the time. Bolt threepeated in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m from 2008 to 2016. (The 2008 4x100m team was eventually disqualified, thanks to a positive test for a banned substance by Jamaican Nesta Carter.)
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Carl Lewis says track and field 'needs' Noah Lyles to take over as the face of the sport. (Getty Images)
However, nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, arguably the last American face of track and field, says there is "no question" that it would be "best for the sport" if Lyles were to take home at least a couple of gold medals from Paris.
"I think the sport needs someone like him that’s a champion. He’s the defending champion, the fastest man in the world right now, and we need someone to grab onto. I think he’s the perfect guy to do that, and I’m excited about that," Lewis told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
"I think track does better when we do have a superstar. That’s why I think if Noah were to win, he would elevate the sport as well. As opposed to saying ‘I wonder who’s going to win,’ people want to say ‘I want him’ or ‘I don’t want him.’ They want to root for someone, or root against someone. I think it creates more intensity when you have someone that dominates, and that’s been throughout history. . . . People have really gravitated to the sport when people really dominated more."
Noah Lyles of the USA celebrates after winning silver in the Men's 60m final during day one of the World Indoor Athletics Championships 2024 at Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. (Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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Lewis is in Paris with Lyles after the track stars partnered with Tide, a dream partnership for the former long-jumper, as he "really got dirty" in competition. It's also a way for a nine-time Olympic gold medalist to relate to the average joe. In order to stay clean, "we have to do the simple things that everyone else has to do," he says.
But joining the campaign with Lyles was a "no-brainer," he says.
"When they reached out to me and talked to me about doing something with Noah, that was very exciting. He’s an exciting young athlete, I’m a really big fan of his. . . . It was a no-brainer, a quick, quick, quick yes," Lewis said.
He may be an expert, and deep down, he probably has several predictions on Lyles' Olympic fate, but he's not making them public.
"I’ve never made a prediction, and I’m going to keep my streak, because next thing you know, they’re running to Noah saying, ‘Carl said you’re gonna win today.’ So I’ll stay out of that," he jokes.
Noah Lyles of Team United States competes in the Men's 60 Metres Heats on Day One of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 at Emirates Arena on March 1, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Lyles will be competing in the 100m final on Sunday afternoon, the 200m (his best event where he is aiming for a world record) on Thursday, and the 4x100m relay on Friday. And, just in case, the 4x400m will be Saturday.
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