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Noah Lyles’ opens up after landing roles at inaugural Ultimate Championships
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Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 26.06.26. | 18:18
The reigning Olympic 100m champion and a two-time world 200m champion, has already secured automatic qualification for both the men’s 100m and 200m
Nine-time global gold medallist Noah Lyles has been unveiled as an Ultimate Star for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, where he will not only compete but also help shape the event’s fan experience as Ultimate MC and Creative Adviser.
The championship is scheduled to take place from September 11 to 13 in Budapest, Hungary.
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Lyles, the reigning Olympic 100m champion and a two-time world 200m champion, has already secured automatic qualification for both the men’s 100m and 200m.
He earned his places through his gold-medal performances at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Beyond the track, the American sprint star will play a central role in the presentation of the event, working closely with World Athletics on fan engagement initiatives, athlete introductions and awards presentations.
Lyles will also oversee the creative direction of Club Ultimate, the exclusive athletes’ after-party, helping design its atmosphere, music, visual identity and overall experience.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe welcomed the appointment, describing Lyles as one of the sport’s biggest stars whose influence extends well beyond athletics.
“We couldn’t be more excited to announce this partnership with Noah Lyles, one of the biggest stars our sport has ever seen.
The Ultimate is intended to give athletes a spotlight in the stadium while simultaneously offering a platform for their passions beyond the track. As with our previously announced Ultimate Stars, we worked closely with Noah to develop a framework that goes beyond an ambassadorship and enables him to apply his many talents to multiple aspects of this premiere event,” Coe said.
Lyles has built an impressive career, winning three Olympic medals and 10 World Championships medals across the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
He also holds the American record in the 200m with 19.31 seconds and shares the national 4x100m relay record of 37.10 seconds. His 200m performance ranks him third on the all-time world list.
Known for his vibrant personality, fashion influence and media presence, Lyles believes athletes should play a bigger role in shaping the future of the sport.
“I love the idea of the best athletes coming together to determine who is best of the best.
My goal has been to have athletes have a real involvement in the development of the Ultimate Championship and the show we’ll put on, and I feel like we’ve done that. I look forward to working with World Athletics to create an experience never seen before by fans or athletes. This will be a start in evolving the sport into a new age of sports and entertainment,” Lyles said.
Lyles joins pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, Olympic sprint champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and American long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall as Ultimate Stars, while sprint legend Usain Bolt has been named the event’s Ultimate Legend.
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is set to become a biennial showdown featuring Olympic champions, world champions, Wanda Diamond League winners and the season’s top-ranked athletes competing to determine the sport’s ultimate champion.
Athletes will also compete for a record prize fund of approximately KSh 1.3 billion (US$10 million).