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SPORTS Thursday 25 July 2024
Noah Lyles looks to be the star of the Olympics, and bring all of

track along for the ride

By EDDIE PELLS and PAT ing in everything from a
GRAHAM green sweater with church-
AP Sports Writers window-shaped cut outs,
PARIS (AP) — Winner. Enter- to black leather pants to
tainer. History maker. the tailored navy suit with
By the time the Paris Olym- the signature Adidas stripes
pics are over, Noah Lyles down the side of the slacks
hopes to be all of that, and he wore to U.S. Olympic tri-
maybe more. The confident als.
26-year-old sprinter thinks There, he was greeted by
he can win medals, break Snoop Dogg, who carried
records and bring the en- a briefcase they opened
tire sport of track and field for a big reveal of Lyles’
onto America’s screens for track kit for the 100-meter
more than 10 days every final.
four years. “It’s to keep hype,” Lyles
These are audacious goals. explained. “If you’re gen-
Winning the 100 and 200 erating excitement and
meters and maybe a re- hype, it’s like, ‘What’s in
lay or two would put him the briefcase?’ You want
in a category with Usain to know what’s in the brief-
Bolt, Carl Lewis and Mi- case.”
chael Johnson, to name a Lyles took a notable dig at
few. Making track popular Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men’s 200-meter final during the U.S. Track and Field the NBA
again that’s a whole dif- Olympic Team Trials Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. Getting others to follow his
ferent, and more complex, Associated Press lead in a sport filled with
mission, and one Lyles has doesn’t mean everybody’s Lyles has spent the last year features Lyles as a main solo artists is only part of the
not shown any fear of tack- watching.” or more laying the ground- character among a num- mountain Lyles is trying to
ling. Using behind-the-scenes work for that second part. ber of Olympians including climb.
“I want to see everybody documentaries to draw He has opened up his life Sha’Carri Richardson and Another part might have
be able to see the stories new fans for two behind-the-scenes the stable of Jamaica’s been best illustrated last
we create, the moments Lyles has a two-pronged documentaries. The first, fastest women sprinters. year when, while articulat-
that are shared, and the strategy. The first part is “Untitled: The Noah Lyles When he’s not on TV, Lyles ing his vision for track after

big events that we have,” dominating the sprints. That Project,” came out last has curated a look outside completing the 100-200

Lyles said. “And we need second part is becoming a year. or make that coming into double at world champion-
personalities to be able to must-see personality who The second, a Netflix pro- the track. ships, he made an off-hand
show that. Because just go- transcends both track and duction called “SPRINT” He is making his “walk-in” comparison between track
ing out there and winning sports, the way Bolt did. that debuted this summer, to meets an event, arriv- and the NBA.q

Katie Ledecky hopes for clean races at Paris Olympics in the

aftermath of the Chinese doping scandal

By JAY COHEN ahead of the Tokyo Games what they can to stop the in Paris. 800.

AP Sports Writer and were allowed to com- FBI probe. She was handed her first With the 400 coming up on
PARIS (AP) — Katie Ledecky pete with no ramifications. “I think everyone’s heard loss in an individual event the first day of the swim-
is hoping for clean races at The controversy has raised what the athletes think,” at the Olympics when Tit- ming competition, Ledecky
the Olympics. Hope was major concerns about the Ledecky said. “They want mus won the 400 in Tokyo. said she isn’t going to at-
just about as far as she was seriousness of anti-doping transparency. They want McIntosh is a prime con- tend the opening ceremo-
willing to go on Wednes- efforts. further answers to the ques- tender for both the 400 and ny on Friday. q
day. “I hope everyone here is tions that still remain. At this
The U.S. swimming star is going to be competing point, we’re here to race.
looking to add to her six in- clean this week,” Ledecky We’re going to race who-
dividual gold medals when said. “But what really mat- ever’s in the lanes next to
she races in the 400, 800 ters also is: Were they train- us.“We’re not the ones
and 1,500 meters at the ing clean? Hopefully, that’s paid to do the testing, so
Paris Games. Her sched- been the case. we hope that the people
ule begins with the loaded Hopefully, there’s been that are follow their own
400 freestyle on Saturday, even testing around the rules. That applies now and
which also includes Ariarne world.” into the future.”
Titmus and Summer McIn- There is an ongoing U.S. Ledecky won gold in the
tosh. investigation of the sus- 800 free in each of the pre-
The 27-year-old Ledecky pected doping by the Chi- vious three Olympics. She
is competing in her fourth nese swimmers drawing also won the 200 free and
Summer Olympics, but it’s the ire of the International 400 in Rio de Janeiro, and
the first one since a doping Olympic Committee. While the 1,500 in Tokyo. She re-
scandal involving nearly awarding the 2034 Winter mains a dominant force in Katie Ledecky swims during a Women’s 800 freestyle preliminary
two dozen Chinese swim- OIympics to Salt Lake City the 1,500, but she is facing heat, June 21, 2024, at the US Swimming Olympic Trials in
mers who tested positive on Wednesday, the IOC a more difficult challenge Indianapolis. Associated Press
for a banned substance pushed Utah officials to do for the rest of her schedule