Budapest, Hungary – World champion Noah Lyles expressed uncertainty about the future trajectory of track and field, stating the sport is at a crossroads with no clear path forward. Speaking after his World Athletics Championships performance, Lyles highlighted a broader unease extending beyond identifying the next generation of stars, encompassing “everything involving athletics.”
Lyles’ comments come as World Athletics attempts to navigate a shifting landscape, scheduling a new “Ultimate Championship” in 2026 to fill the gap left by the absence of a major global event that year. Though, Lyles has not committed to participating. Despite efforts to broaden appeal - including the Netflix series Sprint and the ultimately unsuccessful grand Slam Track venture spearheaded by Michael Johnson - athletics struggles to match the mainstream success of other sports like Formula One.
The 2023 world champion believes a reluctance to embrace individuality and a sometimes-toxic fan culture are hindering the sport’s progress. He recounted advising Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo to “just be yourself,” acknowledging a climate where athletes fear negative repercussions for expressing their personalities. “We want to come out here and be showmen and give our greatest performances, but we also want to be ourselves,” Lyles said. “I think that sometimes we’re not allowed to be ourselves out of fear of how people will perceive us, knowing that this is just a sport. It’s just a sport, guys, nobody’s dying at the end of the day. Let’s enjoy these moments as much as possible.”
Recent successes, such as Cole Hocker’s golden 5,000m kick after a disappointing 1500m race, offer glimmers of hope, but Lyles’ broader concerns underscore a period of introspection within the sport.
