Noah Lyles Makes Money Almost as Fast as He Runs

Noah Lyles is an American sprinter, Olympic gold medalist and world champion. After handily taking first place in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay events at the 2023 World Athletic Championships, Lyles won his first gold medal in the 100-meter dash final of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The American record holder in the 200-meter dash, he's earned six world championship titles and made his Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, where he earned bronze in the 200-meter dash. Since then, he has not lost a major championship in the event.

Lyles, 27, is participating in three Olympic events total–and possibly the 4x400-meter relay–as he builds his reputation as one of the fastest men in history. As he pursues a sprint triple, fans of the sport are watching to see if he can break world-record times.

"I've always known that I'm the fastest man in the world,” he said after his 2023 win in Hungary. “Well, in my head, I think I'm going to break it. I'm planning to break it.”

Here’s a closer look at Lyles’ career, the records he’s looking to break, and just how much money the “fastest man in the world” is worth.

How did Noah Lyles get his start?

Lyles, who grew up in Virginia, was raised by two track-and-field athletes and has a younger brother also in the sport. He started training at age 12, and just a handful of years later won gold in the 200-meter at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

Instead of running in college, Lyles pursued a pro career and signed a deal with Adidas in 2016. He went on to win two gold medals at the World U20 Championships that year and has collected many national and world titles since then.

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How fast was Noah Lyles in high school?

Lyles’ speed even as a high-school athlete was incredible enough that he bypassed college and went straight to the pros. After winning gold in the 200 meter at the 2014 Youth Olympics, with a time of 20.80 seconds, he beat the U.S. high school record with a time of 20.09 seconds at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. His 100-meter time at the USA Junior Championships was 10.08 seconds.

Has Noah Lyles won an Olympic medal?

Lyles’ first Olympics were the 2020 Tokyo Games (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). He won the bronze medal in the 200-meter sprint.

Favored to win gold going in, so far he's clinched one (the men’s 100 meter where he bested Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five-thousandths of a second) as he heads into the 200-meter finals on Thursday.

Related: Why Do Athletes Bite Their Olympic Gold Medals?

What is Noah Lyles' net worth in 2024?

Noah Lyles’ net worth, like many Olympic athletes, is hard to calculate as he makes most of his money from endorsement deals—the full details of which are not always released to the public. Sources estimate his 2024 net worth at somewhere between $2 million and $10 million.

Lyles’ biggest partner (and paycheck) is likely Adidas. The sportswear brand has sponsored Lyles since 2016 and recently extended the contract through the end of the decade to include the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Although the value of the contract isn’t public knowledge, it’s been reported as the most lucrative track-and-field contract since the retirement of Usain Bolt, who was believed to be making $10 million a year from his deal with Puma.

“When I first signed with Adidas in 2016 along with my brother, Josephus, that was like a dream come true for us. And today is just a continuation of that childhood dream,” Lyles told Global Athletics. “Adidas is not only taking care of me and my family at a level I could only imagine, but they understand me and my vision—not only do I want to achieve all I can in this sport both on and off the track, but I want to make real change and improvements in the sport and how it’s run for the generations that come after me. That is what drives me.”

What is the 100-meter record for Noah Lyles?

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lyles took gold in a photo finish for the 100 meter, coming in at blazing 9.79 seconds, besting his earlier record of 9.83 at the 2023 World Athletic Championships. Both feats secured his title as the fastest man in the world.

What is Noah Lyles' fastest time in the 200?

Lyles ran his personal best for the 200 meter at the 2022 World Championships, when he broke Michael Johnson’s 26-year American record with a time of 19.31 seconds.

While he hasn’t run it that fast since then, his times at the 2023 World Championships (19.52) and 2024 U.S. Olympic trials (19.53) still netted him first place and broke the trials’ record.

Is Noah Lyles faster than Usain Bolt?

Although Usain Bolt retired in 2017, no one has beaten his 2009 world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints. Bolt was also part of the relay team that set the 4x100-meter relay world record in 2012.

Bolt’s 100-meter world record stands at 9.58 seconds, his 200-meter record at 19.19, and his shared 4x100-meter relay record is 36.84. While Lyles no doubt plans to beat these records, it hasn’t happened yet— though it’s a possibility this summer in Paris.

"I think the 100 meter [is] going to be harder [to break than the 200 meter] because it's quicker," Bolt told World Athletics Inside Track in 2023. "And if you make a mistake during the race you're not going to get it."

Does Noah Lyles get paid for the 2024 Olympics?

Most of what Olympians make is through sponsorships, like Lyles’ contract with Adidas. However, they do get a little something extra if they medal.

For each gold medal won in a track-and-field event, the winner will be awarded $50,000 by World Athletics, according to CNN. For relay teams, this amount would be divided amongst the team. This year is the first time track and field’s governing body, World Athletics, is doing this, as usually Olympic athletes are only given medal bonuses from their country as it sees fit.

That means Lyles’ chances of the $50,000 cash prize are tied to his ability to win gold. If he were to win in all four races he participates in, that would earn him a pot of $125,000 (seeing as two of the races are relays).

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