August 5, 2024

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Noah Lyles is on track to become one of the most marketable athletes in sports. … Simone Biles is in for a hefty payday after a successful run in Paris. … An athlete withdraws after swimming in the Seine River. … Plus: More on Olympics golf and tennis, NASCAR, USA 3×3 men’s basketball, and DCB Sports.

— Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]

Noah Lyles Is Chasing Usain Bolt On and Off the Track [[link removed]]

Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports

Noah Lyles’s Paris Olympics saga is far from over. The 27-year-old is still looking for gold in the 200-meter sprint, which would make him the first man since Usain Bolt in the 2016 Rio Games to win both the 100-meter and 200-meter races, or what’s known as the “double.”

Lyles is the heavy favorite to win the event—his odds are at -460 on FanDuel Sportsbook—as he’s significantly more experienced in the 200-meter than in the 100-meter. His 200-meter accolades encompass three world championships, including the last two titles, and a bronze medal from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

On Monday, Lyles won his Round 1 heat [[link removed]] and qualified for the 200-meter semifinals, slowing in the final stretch when he had clearly won the race.

“The 200 is my wife, and the 100 is my mistress,” Lyles said on the Netflix docuseries “Sprint” before winning the double in the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Double or not, Lyles’s win in the 100-meter [[link removed]], the most prestigious track event, solidifies his title as the fastest man in the world.

Bolt Comparison

Comparisons between Bolt and Lyles are inevitable, and the American has declared that he wants to challenge Bolt’s world-record times.

“He’s the fastest man to ever do it, and soon it’ll be me,” Lyles told [[link removed]] CNN in March.

But, like Bolt, Lyles also wants [[link removed]] to impact the sport beyond the track. Bolt’s dominance and longevity made him the face of the sport, but his bravado, which includes a signature pose [[link removed]], made him one of the world’s most marketable athletes.

Lyles, from his shots at NBA players to showing Yu-Gi-Oh! cards before big races, has already shown the swagger to become a media focal point. The question now is how high he can go in a sport that only receives significant international fanfare every four years during the Olympics.

A Signature Shoe

After winning the 100-meter race on Sunday, Lyles, an Adidas athlete since 2016, told reporters that he wants his own signature shoe, particularly a training shoe and not a track-and-field spike.

“I want my own shoe. I want my own trainer. Dead serious. I want a sneaker, ain’t no money in spikes. There’s money in sneakers,” Lyles said [[link removed]].

It may not be a coincidence that Lyles made his statement the day after Bolt launched [[link removed]] a signature lifestyle shoe with Puma.

Athletic brands often reserve their signature shoes for athletes in more accessible and marketable sports, particularly basketball. There are some other athletes with their own signature lines that come with lifestyle and training shoes, such as On with Roger Federer [[link removed]] and Adidas with Patrick Mahomes [[link removed]].

Those are two of the greatest athletes in their sport’s history, so a shoe or clothing line would cement Lyles as the face of track and field.

“With today’s win, and everything he has achieved in his career so far, Noah has cemented his greatness and place as one of the leading athletes in the world. We’re proud to have been able to support him on every step of his journey since our partnership began in 2016,” said Alberto Uncini Manganelli, Adidas’s general manager of running and credibility sports, in a statement after Sunday’s race.

Simone Biles Primed to Cash In After Successful Olympic Comeback [[link removed]]

Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

Simone Biles’s heralded Olympic comeback is complete, but the American superstar gymnast’s business empire is only growing.

On Monday, Biles won the silver medal in the floor exercise, her final event of the Paris Olympics. That brings her total medal count in the 2024 Games to four, including three golds in the vault, all-around, and team competitions. At 27 years old, Biles has 11 Olympic medals, cementing her spot as the most decorated U.S. women’s gymnast of all-time.

After winning four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won just a single bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games while dealing with a case of the “twisties.”

“I’ve accomplished way more than my wildest dreams, not just at this Olympics, but in the sport, so I can’t be mad at my performances,” she said after winning her final medal and failing to make the podium in the balance beam. “A couple years ago, I didn’t think I’d be back here at an Olympic Games.”

Coming to a Town Near You

Biles will receive $135,000 from Team USA’s medal payout system, but the real post-Olympics money will start flowing next month.

After Biles finishes celebrating her latest accomplishments, she’ll begin headlining a nationwide 30-leg gymnastics tour. The Gold Over America Tour (G.O.A.T. for short, by no coincidence) will look to sell out major NBA and NHL venues like Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Biles will be joined by U.S. teammates, including Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, as well as other gymnasts. Ticket prices start at roughly $50, with some VIP packages costing several hundred dollars.

The tour is sponsored by Athleta, the Gap-owned women’s apparel brand that lured Biles away [[link removed]] from an expiring Nike deal in 2021. Biles also has endorsement deals with Visa and hair product brand K18.

One More Run?

Biles has yet to officially rule out competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, when she will be 31. “Never say never,” she said over the weekend. “Next Olympics are at home. So you just never know. I am getting really old.”

The legendary gymnast is married to Bears safety Jonathan Owens, who was granted some time off from Chicago’s training camp to support his wife in Paris. Perhaps Biles will be part of a storyline or even make an appearance on this season of Hard Knocks, which premiers Tuesday night, chronicling Chicago’s preseason efforts.

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Beyond the Fairway With Collin Morikawa

Behind every great athlete is a dedicated team that turns personal aspirations into collective triumphs. From coaches and mentors to family and friends, this support system plays a crucial role in an athlete’s success. That’s the power of us [[link removed]].

Collin Morikawa began his PGA Tour career with 22 consecutive made-cuts—second only to Tiger Woods’s 25 cut streak. He is also a two-time major champion and two-time Olympian. Behind his success, he has a team committed to building his legacy and perfecting his game.

Learn how JJ, Kip, and Rian are dedicated players on Collin’s Untold Team [[link removed]].

Belgian Triathlete Sick After Olympic Seine Swim [[link removed]]

Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports

The Olympic triathlon mixed relay went ahead Monday morning in Paris, but one team opted not to participate. Belgium pulled out because Claire Michel got sick after swimming in the Seine Wednesday.

The Belgian outlet De Standaard [[link removed]] reported Sunday that Michel had been sick for four days before going to the hospital, and contracted an E. coli infection. World Triathlon and the Belgian team have not yet said what Michel was sick with. E. coli, along with enterococci, are fecal bacteria whose levels rise when heavy rainfall overwhelms the system and dumps untreated sewage into the Seine. This still happens despite a $1.5 billion renovation to Paris’ sewer systems, including a massive storage tank underneath the city that can hold 13 million gallons [[link removed]] of liquid, or enough to fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools [[link removed]].

Adrien Briffod of Switzerland contracted a gastrointestinal infection after swimming in the river, though the Swiss Olympic team said [[link removed]] it’s “impossible to say” whether his illness was linked to water quality.

“Water samples taken in the Seine on the morning of the individual triathlon events showed the quality to be at a level considered ‘very good’ by World Triathlon’s criteria, according to results analysed and released the following day,” Paris organizers said [[link removed]] in a statement.

The men’s individual race was pushed from Tuesday to Wednesday after rainfall lowered the water quality. Practice time has also been limited due to bacteria levels, with practice for the swimming leg of the triathlon canceled [[link removed]] for two consecutive days last week.

“The BOIC and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions,” Team Belgium said in a statement [[link removed]] announcing its withdrawal, translated from Dutch. “We are thinking of training days that can be guaranteed, competition days and formats that are clear in advance and circumstances that do not cause uncertainty among athletes, support personnel and fans.”

On Sunday night, water quality tests showed the Seine would be safe by Monday morning’s event, organizers promised [[link removed]]. The relay went ahead as planned, with Germany securing gold, the U.S. earning silver, and Great Britain winning bronze.

Swimming in the Seine hasn’t wrapped yet. Marathon swimming is scheduled for Thursday for women and Friday for men.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Golf and tennis⬆ Not what most fans think of as traditional Olympic events, two of the top professional players in both sports won gold medals on Sunday. American Scottie Scheffler (above) teared up [[link removed]] on the podium while the “Star-Spangled Banner” played after his one-shot victory at Le Golf National. “This supersedes everything,” said [[link removed]] Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, a 24-time tennis Grand Slam champion, after defeating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

NASCAR ⬆⬇ As negotiations for a new charter agreement between the sanctioning body and its teams slowly progress, formal guidelines around private- equity investment could be introduced, including a potential ban on sovereign wealth funds, according to Sports Business Journal [[link removed]].

USA Men’s Basketball 3×3 ⬇ The team failed to qualify for the tournament semifinals after an embarrassing 21-6 loss to the Netherlands. The team can point to an unfortunate injury to top-ranked 3×3 player Jimmer Fredette [[link removed]] as an excuse for the subpar performance, but USA Basketball will still leave Paris with plenty of questions surrounding the quality [[link removed]] of its 3×3 contingent. Ice Cube, founder of professional 3-on-3 league the Big3, already issued [[link removed]] a challenge to the gold-medal winners, which will come with a financial incentive worth at least $150,000.

DCB Sports ⬆ The investment firm agreed to a deal to acquire Guild Esports Plc, a gaming company that soccer legend David Beckham has a minority stake in, according to Bloomberg [[link removed]]. Guild is going private after the deal—and it is still talking to other suitors for additional investment. DCB adds the gaming company to several other sports investments, which includes purchasing [[link removed]] a Los Angeles-based Big3 franchise and an investment in TMRW Sports, the sports and tech firm founded by golf stars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

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U.S. Bank has been making greatness happen since 1863. But not alone. We know above all else that there’s nothing we can’t do together. From buying a home to kick-starting a career, U.S. Bank [[link removed]] is there to support you every step of the way.

We’re dedicated to powering your financial future and, as a result, our collective future. We’ve been doing it since the beginning and are committed to continuing this legacy, and yours.

That’s the power of us [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Netflix has released the first trailer for the new releases of the Untold docuseries, which includes a deep dive on the murder of Steve McNair. Check it out [[link removed]]. As Northwestern awaits the 2026 opening of its new Ryan Stadium, the football team will play in a temporary field right beside Lake Michigan. Take a look [[link removed]]. Kristen Faulkner is the first American to win [[link removed]] the cycling road race gold in 40 years—and she wasn’t even supposed to be on the team. She didn’t start cycling until after college. Editors’ Picks NFLPA Tells Cardinals, Fanatics, NFL Not to Sell Marvin Harrison Jr. Jerseys [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]A dispute between the Cardinals rookie and Fanatics has gone on for months. How Omega Timing Determined Noah Lyles Won Olympic Gold [[link removed]]by Alex Prewitt [[link removed]]Omega touches every corner of the Olympics. Scott Hanson, Andrew Siciliano teaming up for Olympics ‘Gold Zone’ [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]The longtime NFL rivals will work together for the first time. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Margaret Fleming [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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