Not Noah Lyles, “Man of the People” Steals Track and Field Fans’ Love at Atlanta Games

The 2024 Adidas Atlanta City Games included exciting shows and treasured memories. The event, which took place in Piedmont Park on an improvised track, garnered a lot of attention. Spectators saw elite athletes compete, but one athlete in particular won their hearts and respect. The 3x world champion Grant Holloway seized the spotlight in the 110-meter hurdles. While Noah Lyles was the celebration’s public face, hosting the stream live on his YouTube channel, Holloway emerged as the “man of the people.”

The Atlanta City Games’ standout performance came from Lyles’ teammate Grant Holloway. With a time of an astounding 13.07 seconds, he won and took the top spot globally in 2024. Throughout the event, Holloway’s dedication to his supporters was apparent. Both in-person fans and social media followers applauded his personable and grounded style. Holloway’s openness was praised in several tweets. “Grant Holloway, the man that you are. 🍾 #ATLCityGames @flaamingoo 📃Kevin Morris,” was one noteworthy tweet from Adidas Atlanta City Games honoring the three-time world champion.

However, the world champion in the 100 and 200 meters, Noah Lyles also performed well, but narrowly missed Usain Bolt record in 150m. With an average duration of 14.41 seconds, he topped the 150-meter event and broke the previous American record. This came in only 0.06 seconds short of the world record held by Usain Bolt in 2009, which was 14.35 seconds. Meanwhile, Lyles was determined to make sure all his fans could watch him shine at the event. He worked with Adidas Atlanta City Games to provide a free YouTube livestream.

The live stream allowed tacking and field fans across the globe to see their favorites reach the podium finish. While many would have expected Lyles to be showered with all the love, Holloway emerged as the people’s person.

Fans adore Grant Holloway’s relatable interaction

Fans liked Holloway for his off-track conduct even more than his outstanding performance. Holloway interacted with the audience shortly after his run. Still, his celebration was what set his performance apart. Holloway was spotted interacting with the audience in a way that fans found relatable. Supporters of Holloway expressed their adoration on X as soon as pictures of the celebration went viral. A fan expressed that Holloway’s behavior was widely popular saying that “Dudes rock” in response to Jonathan Gault’s post calling Holloway “man of the people.”

With a timing of 7.27 seconds made at the 2024 USA Track & Field Indoor Championships, Holloway holds the world indoor mark in the 60-meter hurdles and is the champ of the 2022 Glasgow and 2022 Belgrade World Indoor Championships. Despite the accolades, fans love him because of the profound echo of his behavior. “He is the GOAT,” read a simple tweet from another individual, highlighting Holloway’s rising reputation in track and field.