The American athlete Noah Lylesnew Olympic 100 meters champion at the Paris Games, has assured that he will not participate in Grand Slam Track if there is no prior television agreement to broadcast the event.
The six-time world champion gave an interview to ESPN where he said that the new circuit created by Michael Johnson It has an “incredible organization” but will not join until it has a sponsorship agreement with a television channel.
“The problem with our sport is that we perform well but no one sees them. Until there is a sponsor on television, I cannot make a decision,” said the 27-year-old athlete.
“We can have the best performance on the Grand Slam Track but if a tree falls in the middle of the forest and no one sees it, does it really fall?”
Grand Slam Track is a new international athletics league promoted by sports legend Michael Johnson that aims to bring together the world’s best elite runners to compete in speed tests, hurdles, long distance and middle distance.
The contest will air in 2025 and will offer prizes of up to $100,000. The first stars to confirm their participation in the event are the Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400m hurdles Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and the 1,500m world champion Josh Kerr.
“Creating your own athletics league is not easy,” said Lyles, and assured that “[Michael Johnson] “He’s doing what he thinks is best to represent athletics on the world stage and in America.”
The Olympic Games and the Tyreek Hill rivalry
Noah Lyles is the first American to win Olympic gold in the 100 meters in 20 years. The last to achieve this was his countryman Justin Gatlin at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
However, after winning the 100m final with a time of 9.49 seconds, he was affected by Covid-19, which complicated his participation in the 200m final.
“I took all the medications that are strong and the covid fatigue is very powerful,” Lyles, who finally competed in the 200 meters final and finished third behind his compatriot Kenneth Bednarek (silver) and the Botswanan Letsile Tebogo (gold).
“I didn’t have my spirit or my speed. I did it because I didn’t want others to think that I wasn’t in the fight, I wanted them to think that anything could happen,” the runner revealed, adding: “This is probably the my most impressive medal at the time and after three days went out to win and something was still coming out.
Finally, the North American sprinter identified a possible challenge to the American football star Tyreek Hillwith him in a speed race.
“Everybody wants to jump straight up. Everybody wants to run with the fastest in the world. But I didn’t get this title because it was easy,” said Lyles, making sure he was talking to the recipient of the Miami Dolphins.
“I’d say we can’t run 100 meters, but we can do 60. We’re talking,” Lyles said.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
