Lyles recently clocked in the fastest 200-meter time since the '12 London GamesGETTY IMAGES
Track and field has had a "lack of a signature star" since Usain Bolt's retirement, and U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles "would like to fill" the void, according to Adam Kilgore of the WASHINGTON POST. Lyles earlier this month in Switzerland "ran the fastest 200 meters" since the '12 London Games and is expected to make his Olympic debut next year in Tokyo. Lyles is an "unapologetic extrovert, eager to reveal his personality," and he "wants to make track and field a bigger deal" in the U.S. Lyles said, "We talk about the sport and what could transcend the sport. ... Usain Bolt, household name. Transcended the sport. Michael Phelps, swimmer, transcended the sport. What is going to take you from being just popular in track to being popular in the world? By being different or by being you. You can’t get to that point by being somebody else." Kilgore notes Lyles views his races as "part-competition, part-performance." As his competitors "step into the blocks and hear their names announced, they may raise their hand or nod their head." Lyles creates a "new routine for every race." Meanwhile, he "wears socks emblazoned with different characters" during each race. Lyles is featured in a NBC promo for the Tokyo Games, where the camera "lingers on Lyles’ blue Sonic the Hedgehog socks" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/24).
STAR SEARCHING: YAHOO SPORTS noted Bolt and Phelps have been "by far the biggest draws at the past three Summer Games, but now their retirements have created a massive opportunity for the next generation of stars." Someone will "take advantage of that glaring void in star power and emerge as the face" of the Tokyo Games. Athletes most likely to be stars next summer include gymnast Simone Biles, swimmers Katie Ledecky, Lilly King and Caeleb Dressel, and sprinter Christian Coleman, along with British swimmer Adam Peaty and Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/24). SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL's Ben Fischer lists Lyles and Coleman as two athletes "likely to emerge and cash in" on endorsement deals surrounding the Games. The others are gymnast Morgan Hurd, swimmers Michael Andrew and Kathleen Baker, skateboarder Nyjah Huston, surfer Lakey Peterson, hurdler Sydney McLaughlin and high jumper Vashti Cunningham (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/22 issue).
