One of Noah Lyles’s posts on X has an impressive 280k likes. For an individual who frequently ends up at the center of discussions over his remarks, such a large number of interactions on a post is definitely not surprising. Is it? Nevertheless, it’s not solely his charm that contributed to the overwhelming response to the post. Instead, the topic of the post was the real influencer. And what was the post about? Well, it reads, “I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!” The statements, however, elevated Noah as the champion against various issues often labeled as taboo. Additionally, he shared this post after winning the men’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics. Thus, he is an individual who continues to soar above, disregarding the darker thoughts in his mind.

Such bravery stood commendable to everyone. Well, who doesn’t like a warrior standing up in a battle? But do they have any idea about Lyles’s proper problems or what he faced in Paris? Basically, something from the story that led the athlete to post those lines? Well, Noah still remembers and recently shared those incidents once again. 

Noah Lyles speaks of the mental terror he experienced in a crucial moment 

On February 1, Noah Lyles attended the press conference hosted as a part of the pre-contest question-answer series. The reigning Olympic champion is all set to enter the men’s 60m indoor event at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. He will aim to defend his title in the most auspicious New Balance indoor track. However, such a special moment fell short of making him forget all the issues he faced on the sidelines of the Paris Olympics. While recalling those dark moments at the press conference, Noah said, “It was it was rough it was rough and that had to go a lot into you know, trying to find as much solitude and bringing in my circle as close as possible.” Clearly, it was about finding solitude in the grandest contest to keep his focus settled and his mental health right on the spot. But what initiated the issue that the star athlete had to find seclusion where mixing up could be proved most normal? 

In the interaction, the six-time world champion narrated the other face of popularity. Often known as the face of track and field sports, the Florida native has never faced any shortage of limelight. But in the French capital, things were different. How so? Noah explained. In the meetup, he said, “Olympic trip was rough. I’m not going to lie especially because Sprint had just come out so in the village I was kind of already extremely popular.” Who doesn’t want popularity, though? And Noah is a face who showed up in the Formula One race, the US Open final, and the New York Fashion Week. Then what was odd in Paris? 

The reigning world champion said, “I couldn’t leave my room in the village without being stopped at least like 50 times before even making it to the cafeteria. I constantly tried to eat alone just so that I could have peace and quiet.” Things, in the meantime, reached a point when Noah Lyles had to take a resort to his mental health therapist. 

The suggestions from that therapist saved the cause at last and Noah felt “a childlike energy.” Later, the energy helped him to win the events. And if you remember, after Noah’s X-post mentioned above, he came back in the men’s 200m final and ranked third despite suffering from COVID-19. Phenomenal, isn’t it? But Noah has experienced the fangs of mental health issues before as well. 

The depression showed up in another Olympics

There was another X-post made by Noah Lyles on the same topic. The post came in August 2020. It read, “Recently I decided to get on antidepressant medication. That was one of the best decisions I have made in a while. Since then I have been able to think with out the dark undertone in mind of nothing matters. Thank you God for mental Health.” Taking the therapist’s help wasn’t new to him. But in August 2020, he found a light at the end of the dark tunnel. The use of medications helped him to recover slowly. And then bang! Something odd happened. 

The Tokyo Olympics came, knocking on the door. Noah had to join in. But he had his medications active. Would that have been a problem? No idea. But Noah stopped taking antidepressants. In an interview with Time, he justified his take, claiming, “Mentally, getting on and off the antidepressants, it was really hard.” Feeling somewhat improved, Lyles secured his spot in the 200-meter event for the delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics, entering the competition as the clear favorite. However, his brother, Josephus, did not make the cut alongside him, shattering the dream the two brothers had. Meanwhile, the mental issues came again, haunting him. 

Lacking the crowd’s energy (because of COVID restrictions) and not having Josephus by his side, Lyles faced challenges in the 200-meter final, ultimately finishing with a bronze medal. Not only that, right after the race, Noah publicly broke down for the first time and shared his struggles with mental health. He said, “I knew there was a lot of people out there like me who’s scared to say something or to even start that journey.” He continued to add, “I want you to know that it’s OK to not feel good, and you can go out and talk to somebody professionally, or even get on medication, because this is a serious issue and you don’t want to wake up one day and just think, you know, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore.’” Three years later, he didn’t sob. But he was at the receiving end again. Fortunately, he had his mental therapist by his side to save the day for him.