Noah Lyles: A Rising Star in Athletics and Brand Building

Noah Lyles is not just aiming for gold at the Paris Olympics; he is also seizing the opportunity to enhance his brand and secure significant corporate partnerships. At 27, Lyles is vying for a historic win in the 200-meter sprint, which would make him the first man since Usain Bolt in 2016 to achieve the “double” by winning both the 100-meter and 200-meter races.

Lyles enters the 200-meter event as a strong favourite, and his recent victory in the 100-meter event, the pinnacle of track competitions, has solidified his reputation as the world’s fastest man.

The inevitable comparisons between Lyles and Usain Bolt highlight Lyles’s ambition to not only challenge Bolt’s world-record times but also to leave a lasting impact on the sport. Bolt’s charisma and iconic poses made him one of the most marketable athletes globally, and Lyles is following a similar path with his bold personality and unique pre-race rituals, like displaying Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.

As the Olympics offer athletes a platform to reach a global audience, Lyles is capitalising on this exposure to expand his influence. He expressed his desire for a signature shoe, focusing on a training sneaker rather than track spikes. This strategic move aligns with athletic brands typically reserving signature shoe deals for athletes in highly marketable sports, such as basketball.

Lyles’s aspirations echo those of athletes like Roger Federer and Patrick Mahomes, who have successfully launched signature lines with lifestyle and training shoes. Achieving such a partnership would elevate Lyles as a leading figure in track and field.

Adidas, Lyles’s sponsor since 2016, recognises his potential. After his 100-meter victory, Alberto Uncini Manganelli, Adidas’s general manager of running and credibility sports, stated, “With today’s win, and everything he has achieved in his career so far, Noah has cemented his greatness and place as one of the leading athletes in the world. We’re proud to have been able to support him on every step of his journey.”

Noah Lyles is setting a strong example of how athletes can leverage their success at the Olympics to build their brand and secure lucrative partnerships, solidifying his status as a rising star in both athletics and the business of sports.