Olympian Noah Lyles has reaffirmed his stance on the distinction between domestic championships and world titles, despite facing criticism from rapper Drake and NBA players over his recent comments. Lyles, a six-time world champion in track and field, discussed his statements in an interview with TMZ, emphasizing his desire for world champions in athletics to receive the same recognition as national champions. He argued that track and field athletes consistently bring home numerous medals but often go unnoticed, and his intention was to shed light on this disparity.
Lyles remained steadfast in his views, stating, “At the end of the day, it was talking about how I see what we do to our national championships — I just want the same thing for our world champions. And we’re a sport where we’re bringing in the most medals every year, and it’s like nobody even knows because they don’t pay attention.”
Drake, a well-known rapper and ambassador for the Toronto Raptors, had criticized Lyles’ original comments in support of his NBA friends. Lyles had questioned the use of “world champion” in the NBA Finals, pointing out that no other countries outside of the United States and Canada are represented in the North American league.
In response to Lyles’ comments, Drake commented on an Instagram post, saying, “He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before… now the whole league doesn’t rate u,” accompanied by laughing emojis. Other NBA figures also expressed their opinions on Lyles’ remarks, with Kevin Durant, Aaron Gordon, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, Bam Adebayo, and Austin Rivers sharing their thoughts.
Notably, Lyles’ comments gained renewed attention after the United States’ elimination from the FIBA World Cup, seemingly validating his perspective on the distinction between national and world titles. However, despite the criticism he received, Lyles remains resolute in advocating for world champions in track and field to receive the recognition he believes they deserve.
As the debate surrounding the significance of world championships continues, Lyles’ perspective sheds light on the challenges faced by athletes in various sports who strive for global recognition on par with their domestic achievements.
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Written by
Derek Chan – Editor
