Noah Lyles: ‘I Want My Own Shoe’

After winning the gold medal in the men’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Adidas athlete Noah Lyles said he wants his own shoe.

With a time of 9.79 seconds, Adidas athlete Noah Lyles won the gold medal for Team USA in the men’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday. After the race, the athlete shared one of his next goals.

“I want my own shoe. I want my own trainer. Dead serious. I want a sneaker, ain’t no money in spikes. There’s money in sneakers,” Lyles said after the race to media, which was shared on YouTube via Citius Mag. “And even Michael Johnson didn’t have his own sneaker. I feel like for how many medals we bring back, the notoriety we get, the fact that it hasn’t happened is crazy to me. That needs to happen.”

Although he doesn’t have a shoe just yet, he did wear an eye-catching look during his gold medal-winning performance: Adidas Y3 Spikes.

“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 since our partnership began in 2016,” Alberto Uncini Manganelli, general manager running and credibility sports at Adidas, said in a statement.

At the end of Sunday, the United States has 19 gold medals, 26 silver medals and 26 bronze medals, for a total of 71 medals. People’s Republic of China has the second most medals as of Sunday, with 19 gold, 15 silver and 11 bronze, for a total of 45.

About the Author

Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.