Newly crowned Olympic 2024 champion in the 100m and Olympic 2024 bronze medalist in the 200m, Noah Lyles is back in the news again. This time it is about his perceived no-show to Anthony Edward’s Adidas shoe launch. Some have said it was due to Noah Lyles’ distaste of seeing Anthony Edwards gain more attention, hence his absence from the event in question.
Setting the Record Straight
Lyles logged into his now ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) account on a Monday morning to explain the bizarre incident. ‘There is a rumor going around that I did not go to @theantedwards_ shoe release because he didn’t deserve it,’ Lyles claimed. ‘Well that is not true, he does deserve his shoes; he is a great player’ If you had other engagements then it must have been a challenge to find time to be an Olympic champion.
Past Comments Resurface
Earlier this week Noah Lyles complained about the shoe contract awarded to Anthony Edwards before the Olympics. He wondered how a basketball icon, who has not even come close to the NBA final, could be honored when he, a two-time gold medal winner, was not. Lyles said: “You really expect me to go to a game of a man who has not even reached the NBA finals? In a sport that interests me in the first place? And you are giving the man a shoe? I mean no disrespect — he is one of the best athletes in the world and having a fabulous year.”
Deserving Recognition for Track Athletes
Lyles was once among the proponents of track athletes and how they deserved more attention. ‘As we know, there are no nickels in track spikes, but there are dollars in sneakers’, Lyles went on: “Well, Michael Johnson, for example, did not have his own sneaker yet We bring so many medals for track athletes and get so much attention – and this has not occurred yet,” she exclaimed.
While Lyles’ clarification may not stop all those who are still criticizing him, to some extent, he has a passion for his sport and for hard-working athletes irrespective of the sport they are engaged in.
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