“We already live in the absolute, since we have already created eternal, omnipresent speed.” So wrote the Futurists, a radical artistic movement that, more than most, managed to sublimate the idea of speed and reimagine cultural universes by fusing them together.

Eternal. Omnipresent. Speed. Living in the absolute. A language that, when applied to track and field and today’s sporting imagination, finds its clearest embodiment in the identity of Noah Lyles. Already an Olympic gold medalist. Already a six-time world champion. Now in his prime, the Gainesville native is shaping, or rather, reinventing a sports-art movement of his own—where photo finishes become visual electric poetry, and celebrations borrow from anime and aesthetic sensibility.

In his world, the eternal, omnipresent speed is a primordial instinct. A force to be respected, refined, passed on. And living in the absolute means understanding that domination on the track should never be the sum total of a human being—it should elevate them, so they can elevate everything around them. 

That’s exactly what’s happening with this already-legendary figure of the 100 and 200 meters: adidas ambassador, world-class communicator, and without question, a cultural icon.

After a long string of records and victories—and after proving both your value and your athletic versatility—what are the sensations you chase today? What drives you now? Even more to the point: once you’ve reached the top of the world, what do you see—and keep seeing—beyond it?

What drives you now? I love to train and I love to race, so I don’t need any extra incentive for that. It is what I do. But I’m also driven by how I can make my sport better both while I’m in it and after I’m done competing. We have a great sport and so many athletes with great stories to tell and new fan bases to reach. I want to try to help make these connections, not just for myself, but try to shine a brighter light on the sport and help raise the profile of the sport and the great athletes in it.

“I’m Unlimited” is one of your most iconic quotes. What does the word unlimited mean to you—when it comes to your vision of the world, yourself, and your sport?

I don’t put any limits on myself. And I’m not afraid to say what my goals are. That makes others uncomfortable sometimes, but this has always been my approach. On the track, I see every day, every training session, and every race as part of the process toward the ultimate success.

For Athleta Mag, being unlimited means breaking into other realms of imagination—connecting the world of track & field to other cultural passions, like anime, and to fashion and personal style. What role does this multidimensionality play in your life? And how does adidas help you strike a balance between high performance and self-expression?

I have never seen myself as just an athlete. I have a God-given ability and I want to make the most of that. And part of that is to bring entertainment to our sport whenever I can. My other interests as you list are part of my off-the-track passions, and I try to make these all meet whenever I can. Since I’ve started doing walk-ins, adidas has been very supportive and have given me access to many of their shoulder brands and collaborations to keep these events closer to my brand – which they’re a big part of. Our anime project from the 2020 Olympics also tapped into a big interest of mine, and we will do that again at the World Championships in Tokyo in September. This time with fans in the stands. We are working on some other very exciting projects at the moment, and you will see more through the rest of this year as some of these start to get released.

Another one of your powerful quotes is: “I want to show people how far they can really I don’t want them to stop at medals. That should be the first check off the box. After you go to medals, now you go to moving outside of the sport. After you’re outside of the sport, we go and reinvent ourselves.” We’ve talked about being an unlimited icon. But how does Noah Lyles see himself beyond the track—where every human being continues to reinvent who they are? And what do you envision for your future?

As I said above, there are many stories to tell in this sport, and I want to bring as much attention as I can to track and field so those stories are told. I want the next generation of great athletes around the world to know that they can fulfill their dreams and ambitions in every way in track and field, both on and off the track.