Athletics has been on the search for the next Usain Bolt since the Jamaican star's retirement in 2017, and newly minted 100-meter champion Noah Lyles is doing his best on and off the track to bring his sport back into the public spotlight.
The two-time 200-meter champion claimed gold in the 100 at the world championships with a personal best time of 9.83 seconds in Budapest on Sunday to back up his prediction of glory, even if it was not quite at the predicted time of 9.65. He will now seek to become the first man since Bolt to win the sprint double at the world championships.
Lyles' achievements are being chronicled by a "behind the scenes" documentary, and the 26-year-old is proud to be doing his part for a sport that, in the United States in particular, has to fight tooth and nail for attention.