Noah Lyles isn’t just out here running fast—he’s on a mission to keep track and field relevant, and what better way to do that than by challenging NFL speedster Tyreek Hill to a race? The date and rules? Still TBD. But one thing is crystal clear: the reigning Olympic and world 100m champion isn’t just looking to beat the Miami Dolphins wide receiver—he wants to “drop a world record on his head.” (Ouch.) But before Lyles became the fastest man in the world, he had to outrun something even tougher: childhood asthma.

As a kid, his bark-like cough made basic things a struggle. “He couldn’t eat without coughing. He couldn’t play,” his mom, Keisha Bishop, told ESPN. Fast forward to today, and he’s the one making defenders gasp for air. And just to keep things spicy, he fired off a cryptic message on X before the big race—because what’s sports for Lyles without a little social media drama?

Noah Lyles isn’t just the fastest man on the track—he’s also got a way with words. Recently, he hopped on X and dropped this painfully accurate gem: “Allergies and asthma are like bad kids. They keep you up at night and want to jump on your chest all day. They never listen when you tell them to do something and always find something new to break.”

 

If that sounds oddly personal, that’s because it is. Lyles doesn’t just outrun world-class sprinters—he’s been outrunning asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and depression his whole life. But if you think that’s slowed him down, well… have you seen this guy move? Lyles’s battle with asthma started long before he was breaking records—it began when he was barely old enough to tie his shoelaces.

By age five, doctors diagnosed him with reactive airway disease. Emergency room visits became routine, and doctors later confirmed he had full-blown asthma. “There wasn’t a time I can remember when asthma wasn’t an issue,” Lyles said in Sprint, a Netflix documentary.

He continues, “I spent a lot of nights in the hospital just trying to breathe.”To manage his condition, Lyles started nebulizer treatments while his mom went full superhero mode—ditching curtains, tossing stuffed animals, and even hiring an HVAC tech to clean their air ducts. When he was 7, doctors removed his tonsils and adenoids to help improve his breathing, and around the same time, he discovered sports.

Everything seemed to be improving… until high school, when his asthma started hitting back. After races, his lungs struggled to recover, leaving him bedridden for days. His mom finally asked him, “What is your purpose in life?” His answer? “To run really fast.” And that purpose never wavered, even when it pushed him to his limits—like in Paris, where his mother stood powerless, begging for help.

Lyles runs fast even when life tries to slow him down

Even as Noah Lyles climbed the ranks to become a three-time world champion, asthma never truly left the picture.

“It affects everything—health, fitness, even my emotions,” he told CNN in 2020. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, his struggle became even more complicated. Lyles took extreme precautions to avoid the virus, but the isolation led him into deep depression.

This affected his performance at the Tokyo Games. “I was so tired. Even thinking was a drain,” he said. But Paris? That was different. After his gold medal win in the 100m, he reminded the world that despite all his challenges—allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, depression, asthma—he achieved his dream. But it did come at the cost! He collapsed after finishing third in the 200-meter finals.

Keisha Caine Bishop, Lyles’s mother, had the heart of a terrified parent when she saw this. Having tested positive for COVID before the race, Lyles pushed through with a 102-degree fever—only to collapse after crossing the finish line. But instead of finding immediate help, Bishop says she was met with indifference. In a furious Instagram post, she claimed that stadium security refused to call a doctor, even as she begged them for assistance.

“This was one of the scariest moments of my life! Watching my son hold his chest, gasping for air, while security ignored me completely,” Lyles’ mom wrote. “No parent should ever have to experience that helplessness.” It wasn’t until NBC Olympics staff stepped in that she finally got the support she needed, thanking them for their “empathy, professionalism, and kindness.”

As for Lyles? Ever the warrior, he bounced back—because that’s what champions do. And while Paris tested him in every way, you can bet we’ll see him back, faster and stronger, in Los Angeles in 2028.