Fresh from his record-breaking 100-meter sprint at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Noah Lyles has set his sights on a new challenge: getting his own signature shoe from adidas. The 27-year-old American sprinter made his intentions clear at a news conference after the event, saying, “I want my own shoe, I want my own trainer, dead serious.” Lyles, who is sponsored by adidas, wore the brand’s spikes during his historic win, becoming the first American to claim the gold medal in the event since Justin Gatlin’s victory in Athens 20 years ago.
Lyles’s demand for a personalized shoe is a clever business move. As Monique Pollard, Citigroup Inc.’s head of European retail, internet, and brands equity research, pointed out, “The Olympics are a wonderful showcase of innovation and performance, but they’re not necessarily a huge commercialization event” for companies like adidas. A Noah Lyles shoe could “broaden the appeal” of adidas’s running products, which already include popular models like the Adizero and the Pro Evo.
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The sprinter’s request is also a nod to the lucrative sneaker market, which has long been dominated by basketball stars like Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Lyles noted, “I want a sneaker, ain’t no money in spikes.” His comment highlights the disparity between the commercial opportunities available to sprinters versus basketball players. Despite the fame of past champions like four-time gold medalist Michael Johnson, there hasn’t traditionally been a path for sprinters to release widely marketable shoes.
However, adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden has expressed optimism about the brand’s prospects in the running shoe market. Last month, he said, “Our offering in running is very, very wide and deep, and you will see us growing there in the future.” Gulden acknowledged that adidas “didn’t have the right product for a while” in comfortable running sneakers but believes the brand has now rectified this issue with models like the Adistar, Supernova, and Ultraboost.
One potential hurdle for adidas is rebuilding relationships with specialty running retailers. According to Pollard, this process will take time, but a product with high sell-through, such as a Lyles sneaker, could certainly help those conversations. As Lyles himself put it, “There’s money in sneakers. That needs to happen.”
adidas has sponsored Lyles since 2016, and the brand has expressed its commitment to continuing their partnership. An adidas spokesman said in an emailed statement, “Noah cemented his place at the top of the sport with his achievements in Paris, and further races still to come. We will continue to work together on how we support him both on and off the track.”
