Running fast wins races, but staying visible wins careers. Notably, Noah Lyles won the 200m and anchored the US team to gold in the 4x100m relay race at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships. Meanwhile, Kishane Thompson and Letsile Tebogo had to experience a bit of disappointment. But that’s just a portion of their careers. The athletes still have to stay active outside the tracks and market themselves. And that’s when the former Jamaican athlete, Warren Weir, swooped in with some important advice.
Taking to X, the 2012 London Olympics 200m dash bronze medalist wrote, “ATTENTION ATHLETES!!!!!! Worlds might be over, but this is not the time to disappear from social media. Stay active, connect with your fans, and keep building your following. Show the other side of your life—don’t go ghost now!”
Social media has become an extension of the track, where athletes build personal brands, attract sponsorships, and connect with fans beyond race days. Not all athletes ride on this boat, but most do. Going silent after the Tokyo World Championships can mean losing momentum, while staying active keeps athletes in the conversation year-round. But doesn’t Weir’s advice sound a bit familiar to what Noah Lyles had to say about Letsile Tebogo’s showing-off antics?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Right after winning the 200m race at Tokyo in just 19.52 seconds, Lyles shared some advice for Tebogo. Talking to Fentuo Tokyo, the American sprinter and world champion, said, “I would say, be yourself, man. Like, I watched you in World Youth when you won the 100m. But I see you wanna showboat, man. Just do it! It’s you! Do the antics, put on the crown.” After all, he knows the importance of staying active even when things take him away from the tracks. But it seems like Lyles and Tebogo have different opinions.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Tokyo World Championships stars discuss social media presence
In an interview with CITIUS MAG back in February, ‘Nojo18’ highlighted the importance of staying relatable and marketable outside the track. He said, “We just got to do a better job of showing that this important, I mean, how are we going to, we could compete with them, we just have to do what some of the things that they’re doing, we talk about the walk-in. The walk-ins lead to articles with athletes in GQ; now we’re talking about marketing them outside of track.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, Letsile Tebogo had a distinct perspective. He previously stated he couldn’t become the face of the sport because he wasn’t as arrogant as Noah Lyles. And as far as the spotlight was concerned, he claimed, “For me, I choose off the spotlight and then just my legs do the talking.” The Motswana has also confessed that he’s a shy person who likes to stay away from the media. But given the nature of the sport, he’s forced to step up and take his game up a notch, becoming a sports personality.
Athletes like Lyles show how constant engagement builds a long-lasting profile, while talents like Thompson and Tebogo can certainly use this strategy to turn breakout performances into sustainable stardom. Now, the question is, how far can Thompson and Tebogo run in the social media game? That’s the real question to answer.