Noah Lyles is on a rollercoaster that only goes up, my friend! And no doubt, the world is all for it. And the 2024 Paris Olympics were truly a cherry on top! Lyles won gold in the coveted 100m, becoming the fastest man in America. But it did not stop there; despite being diagnosed with COVID-19, he ran the 200m. And won the bronze despite all odds.

Yet, behind the roaring crowd lies a personal battle that Lyles has been dealing with! In a recent candid conversation, Lyles went on to talk in detail about his internal struggles and mental health. When confronted with labels like “narcissistic” and “arrogant,” Lyles responded with surprising honesty. “Very,” he said when asked about being narcissistic, and “a hundred percent” about being arrogant. And he went on to playfully add, “Yes. Annoying… that might be the one I might agree with the most.”

Like a true champion, he went on to say that being a winner isn’t just about training. Noah’s choice? Therapy. To be precise, “a lot of therapy.” He went on to add, “My mom deals with clinical depression, and she saw those traits within me and my siblings. So what she did was put us in therapy very early on, and she said, ‘If you like this, this is something you can continue throughout your life.’ And I chose to continue it.”

Noah Lyles’s mom, Keisha Caine Bishop, has been Noah’s pillar of support since the beginning of his athletic journey. He went on to say, “So I actually have two, three therapists now. I’ve been dealing with a grief therapist as of late. Been having a lot of loss in my friends and family recently. So I just didn’t want something like that to continue to fester over time.”

But that’s not all! Lyles’ struggle with mental health was something that had the potential to derail his dreams. He went on to talk about how he approaches tough days. “I need to know how to handle those days. Like, who do I talk to? Who do I go to? What is the mindset that I had to start thinking instead of, ‘Oh, that was just such a bad day?'” he said. But all things said and done, Lyles has no intention of losing momentum any time soon. “You know, I want to know that I’m the guy, and no matter what anybody else does, I’m gonna stay that guy,” he added.

How did Noah Lyles become “that guy”?

Lyles’ trajectory on track reads like a novel destined for greatness. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Lyles won gold in the 100 meters, clocking 9.784 seconds. What a nail-biting finish it was! Lyles outran Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by a mere 0.005 seconds. This was America’s first gold in 100m since 2004. That’s not all! Lyles also won a bronze at the Paris Olympics in the 200m clocking 19.31 seconds.

Lyles’ versatility, however, extends beyond the Olympic podium. At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, he went on to create history. He won gold in 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 4×100-meter relay. His 200-meter win, clocking 19.52 seconds, not only earned him gold but also moved him to second on the all-time list for World Championship gold medals, behind the legendary Usain Bolt. This was his third World Championship gold in the 200 meters, surpassing legends like Michael Johnson and Calvin Smith.

But Noah’s journey hasn’t been all flowers and roses! It has had its thorns along the way. Especially in his personal life. But despite all odds, Noah continues to sprint his way to gold. As his journey continues, the world is left wondering: What’s next for Noah Lyles? Could it be breaking Bolt’s record? The world will have to patiently wait and watch.