Noah Lyles Unnecessarily Dragged as Track and Field Athlete Takes Another Shot at Tara Davis-Woodhall’s Husband Hunter After Nike Announcement

Back in January, Olympic long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband, Paralympic champion Hunter Woodhall, joined Noah Lyles and Rai Benjamin on the Beyond The Records podcast for a fun, heartfelt conversation. During the episode, Hunter had nothing but praise for Noah, especially when it came to how the world’s fastest man uses social media. “You use social media in a great way to get people riled up and excited,” Hunter told Noah. He smiled, then added something deeper: “What’s cool about the internet is that it’s allowing us to tell these stories. Before, you didn’t know Olympians by anything other than what they do on the field of play. Now, you have a chance to see these personalities.” Noah beamed at the compliment, flashing a big, grateful smile in return. It was one of those pure, uplifting moments where athletes uplift each other, not just for medals, but for impact.

Fast forward to April 25. The vibe had shifted. Track Spice, a popular track and field fan page, shared a celebratory post: Tara and Hunter Woodhall had officially signed with Nike. The couple was all smiles in the photo, dressed head-to-toe in Nike gear. A moment of triumph, years in the making. But not everyone was clapping. Erin Brown, a known voice in the track community and an athlete, reshared the post on X (formerly Twitter) with a sharp caption: “They only signed him because of her btw. Kinda like Noah Lyles and his brother with adidas.” And just like that, a beautiful moment turned sour.

The comment struck a nerve for fans. Many felt it disrespected Hunter’s journey—a journey that includes five Paralympic medals, including gold in the 400m T62 at the 2024 Paris Games. Not to mention silver in both the 100m T64 and 400m T62 at last year’s World Championships. His Nike deal wasn’t handed to him. He earned it. And so did Noah’s brother, Josephus.

Back in 2016, the Lyles brothers inked an eight-year deal with Adidas, a groundbreaking agreement that paid for their education and even assigned a chaperone for their early years on the pro circuit. Noah was 19. Josephus was 18. Their bond—and their brand—has only grown stronger since. Sure, being related to a star might open a door or two—but walking through it, thriving beyond it? That’s a whole different race.

As for Hunter, he hasn’t responded to the criticism. Instead, he chose to let his joy speak for itself. He marked the Nike signing with a short, powerful message on social media: “LA28 starts here.” Three words. A dream in motion. A reminder that the journey to greatness doesn’t need defending—it just needs running. And as far as the trolling is concerned, this wasn’t the first time Hunter had to face such things from Erin Brown, and he has a strategy ready at hand for dealing with such attacks.

Hunter Woodhall explains the strategy to Noah Lyles 

On April 20, things took a sharp turn on X. Erin Brown posted a fiery screenshot with a caption that instantly stirred the pot: “The irony of Hunter Woodhall laughing at me getting a cramp in both my calves when he’s never had a calf is insane to me. F**k you ninja.” The screenshot? It showed Hunter’s one-word comment under a previous post: “Cooked.” Simple. Blunt. And in that moment, explosive. Meanwhile, plenty of fans rallied behind Hunter, laughing it off and showing support. But for Erin, it didn’t sit well. The tension was now out in the open—and loud.

Still, if anyone thought Hunter would clap back, they clearly don’t know his playbook. Because months earlier, when Hunter sat down with Noah Lyles and Rai Benjamin on the Beyond The Records podcast, he revealed his secret to handling hate: “I’m not looking at all,” Hunter said, with calm confidence. His strategy is simple but powerful: Don’t give the negativity any air to breathe. Maybe that’s exactly why we haven’t seen a response from him to Erin’s shots. No angry tweets. No Instagram rants. And no TikTok shade. Just…silence.Hunter’s focus seems locked on bigger things—like a fresh Nike deal and the long road to LA28. Because in the end, it’s hard to get “cooked” when you’re already running your own race.