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World's fastest man Noah Lyles opened up on the specific reasons for not signing up for Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track League this year, citing financial and marketing values, while still open to come on board next year.
World and Olympic champion Noah Lyles has finally revealed his reasons for turning down competing at Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track League.
The professional league which officially debuted in Kingston this year and had follow-up success in Miami and Philadelphia, with the last city for Los Angeles from June 27-29, features some of the world's best track stars including Olympic champions from Paris.
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With the league gradually becoming fans' favourite, some other top stars such as Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson, Julien Alfred, and Letsile Tebogo, opted not to sign for it in its first year, becoming a debatable topic among track enthusiasts.
Lyles has now opened up on why he chose to opt out, citing financial reasons, personal branding, and marketing value.
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"I've worked very long to increase my value in this sport. When he came to me and asked me to be a part of it, he gave me a number and we said the number is not a fraction of what my worth is right now. And this was before the Olympics," said the world's fastest man on the Funky Friday podcast show.
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"We came back after the Olympics and I said that I still like what you're doing, I'd like to be a part of it but if I'm not going to financially gain on one side, I have to market-wise get value from it. And at the time he could not give me enough reason in my head to believe that I was going to market-wise get enough value from it," he added.
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To further prove his point, the six-time world champion expatiated on why more needs to go into the GST League, especially in marketing storytelling.
"Have you ever heard of Grand Slam Track?" Lyles asked the host, to which he responded "No I have not, I only know of Michael Johnson." Lyles then continued: "And that proves my point. Do not feel bad, this is only proving that we need to do better, to step up, that there needs to be a higher level of marketing storytelling in pushing the product."
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He, however, revealed his openness to joining the league next year, if all modalities are worked out as it's the closest thing to a professional track league.
"There might be a time, maybe next year I'll join, who knows? I'm trying to be open, I'm very open, again who knows, like I said this is the first thing we've ever had to a track league and I'll truly like to see it succeed."
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The Grand Slam Track league has the highest payout for any track meet in history, with each city Slam category winner earning $100,000.
Paris Olympics 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek is currently the biggest winner with $300,000, having dominated all three cities as Slam champion in the men's short sprints category.
While in the women's event, Olympic 100m bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has the same payout of $300,000 for winning all three cities as Slam champion in the short sprints category.
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