Topics: Noah Lyles, Usain Bolt, Athletics
Usain Bolt snubbed eight-time world champion Noah Lyles as he named two "exceptionally talented athletes" as the biggest stars in track and field right now.
Lyles, who memorably won the 2024 Olympic 100m title by five-thousandths of a second, was at his scintillating best at the World Championships in Tokyo, winning gold in both the 200m and 4x100m relay.
It was a win that brought his total of world championship gold medals to eight, with only Usain Bolt having more.
Lyles' performances earned him a nomination for the Men's World Athlete of the Year award, alongside Mondo Duplantis, Mattia Furlani, Sabastian Sawe, Alphonce Simbu and Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
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But the American was overlooked by the previously mentioned Bolt, who failed to mention Lyles as he named Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levorne as the biggest stars in track and field at this very moment.
Speaking to The National, Bolt played down the suggestion that athletics has lost some of its star quality since Bolt left the sport.
“I don’t think interest in track and field is declining,” he said. “We had a great World Championships in Tokyo with exciting competition and full stadiums for every session. I think there is talent out there.
“Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levorne are probably the biggest stars in the sport at the moment – both are exceptionally talented athletes.
“I think the fans don’t need to see records, but like to see good genuine competition between the top athletes. If an athlete is winning and attracting attention the fans will watch.
“I think there are some exciting things coming up this year, especially the Ultimate Championships which is a World Championships in three days. It will have the best of the best, and is designed to attract new fans to the sport.”
Last year, Bolt fired a not-so-subtle dig at the current crop of track stars after being asked about modern-day sprinters and their inability to get near his times.
Speaking in an interview with The Times, Bolt said: “You want the real answer? We’re just more talented. That’s all I’m saying. Of course, it shows when it comes to the men. You can see the women are different. The young women are coming up.
"They’re running faster and faster times [with the new shoes]. I’m just saying, ‘You can’t run faster with brand new spikes?’ We’re just way more talented men."
