'I won't be able to pay my bills'- Noah Lyles opens up on the harsh reality of track & field

Triple world champion Noah Lyles has revealed why he must participate at the LA 2028 Olympic Games, as things stand.

explained that he does not have the liberty to choose whether to compete at the Olympic Games or not since he has people who direct what he does.

He pointed out that his sponsors, including Adidas, get to make such crucial rules for him and if he does not comply with the rules, then he will lose all his sources of income.

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revealed that when he loses his contract, he will not manage to lead the life he lives now and will find it difficult to navigate through life.

The reigning Olympic 100m champion explained that missing the LA 2028 Olympic Games will make him a nobody, noting that it is just the ruthless nature of the sport.

“We’ll see, I would like to be in a position where I get to make that choice. Right now, I don’t get that choice, it’s a lot deeper than that. I have to go because that’s what our sport is built on,” Noah Lyles shared on the Toure Show.

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“So anyone who sponsors us is going to have the idea that we shall go to the Olympics and the Olympics crowns the fastest man and woman. If I don’t go, I’m definitely losing my contract, I’m losing my way of life.

“I won’t be able to pay my bills or you know go on through life easily, it will be a lot more challenging because unfortunately, we are an amateur sport, not a professional sport.”

He has been very vocal about creating a change in the sport and he explained that the first thing he is after is ensuring athletes have the liberty to make their own choices.

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noted that he would love to see athletes earn money aside from track and field and avoid relying solely on the Olympics or other events and not being able to make their own choices.

“If I can change the sport before the LA 2028 Olympic Games, then I will have achieved my goal, I will have transcended the sport,” Noah Lyles revealed.

“I would have made athletes make a living out of events and allowed people to choose if they wanted to go or not. We are amateur, we get paid but we have contractors.”

Noah Lyles revealed that his goal was to first win the Olympic gold medals in the 100m and 200m and after accomplishing one of the goals, he feels ready to fight for a change in track and field.