“All the Olympic medals. I don’t care who wants it. It’s mine,” A comment like this paints the picture of someone who is steadfastly confident. Noah Lyles is. He gives himself a target, and he fulfills it. Such an attitude helps him stay at the front in almost every race. But the background work has demanded much effort from him, as the 27-year-old wasn’t always on the front foot. His performance in the Tokyo Olympics was bittersweet, earning him a 200-meter bronze, whereas he failed to clear the 100-meter trials. So, what changed him?

His mental therapies, especially! Even so, Noah Lyles has a fear of landing in the dark pit, where he might not be able to come back. In his interview with Daily Mail, the threepeater expressed, “There is a fear in the back of my mind that it (depression) will come back”.

This depression holds him back to the wall from where imagining the six-time world champion, Noah Lyles, could be hard for him. But his present self does not show any gloomy part. Rather, on July 20, he posted his career-best 100m performance (9.81 seconds). The same race saw names like Zharnel Hughes, Letsile Tebogo, Akani Simbine, and Yohan Blake falling in front of him. So, the question still rings- how is he doing all this with fear in mind? That’s where the therapies come into play. 

In the same exclusive interview, he let it slip that because of all those therapies, he can pull his buckles now, from going down to the hollow. “Every time I think that, I am like, “I am so much better, I am in such a great place”, he mentioned as his quick treatment. Therefore, everything stays in Noah Lyles’ mind – both the positive and negative experiences. And the change is now he knows how to resolve those negative parts using his positive ones. Almost a fight between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! But for Noah, it is something else. 

He called it out, “I just chalk that up as the devil trying to whisper sweet nothings in my ear”. Before the Paris Olympics, this is going to be his mantra. His performances prove that Noah Lyles is running by the perfect maxim so far. Furthermore, his motivations have also driven him to give an extra shot to each of his targets. In one of his conversations with USA Track and Field, the American record holder narrated a few things on that. 

Noah Lyles’ depression falls short in front of his greed 

“…what’s wrong with being greedy?” questioned Noah Lyles, astonishingly. Yes, there’s no wrong to express that part of character until the urged matter remains within one’s own ability. And Noah thinks he runs no short of abilities that are necessary to get all the Olympic medals (100m,200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m) in the men’s category. His subsequent boastful lines, “I feel like if I can train myself to be able to do multiple of each, I want to try and accomplish that”, tell that from his mental aspect, he is quite ready to take down all the boundaries. That’s how the Florida-born has suppressed his mental demons heavily. 

The good part is Noah Lyles’ performances have earned him accomplishments whereas his story to defy odds has become a source of motivation to many. His girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, admits this truth. “I started therapy about two years ago because my boyfriend is big on therapy and felt I needed it. It’s been really helpful because I’ve been dealing with survivor’s guilt, which was weighing on me. Now, I feel like I can live my life fully and enjoy every moment because life is short”,  she said once. Do you find Noah Lyles’ strategy to counter depression helpful? Let us know in the comments.