No matter the intensity of the wind, the flame of their love burns bright. Noah Lyles and his Jamaican girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, have indeed navigated a stormy sea this year. Needless to say, 2024 was equally important for both athletes, who were looking to represent their nations at the Paris Olympics. But the rekindled USA-Jamaica rivalry caught them in the line of fire. Not once, but multiple times.

‘Traitor,‘ ‘Backstabber,‘ the hate stemming from the rivalry unleashed social media wrath on Junelle, especially. But she handled it with impeccable grace. Unruffled and serene as ever, her stories attested, she was ‘living her best life.’ Isn’t she the epitome of strength? Well, this week, EssentiallySports caught up with the ‘fastest man,’ the reigning 100m Olympic champion, Noah Lyles, for an Exclusive interview (sponsored by Tide), who agreed to this and then some more. Filling in the blanks, he reveals how the power couple pulls through these trying times.

Noah Lyles admits to having emotional rollercoasters in his relationship.

Yes, the ever-confident and lightning-fast Noah Lyles spoke to our EssentiallySports correspondent, Shreya Verma, in an Exclusive Interview, revealing the unknown bits to us. On being asked if the rivalry had impacted their relationship and how they balanced this solid bond with their individual careers, the sprinting phenom had a lot to say. Lyles acknowledged, “Yes, this has definitely been the most testing year of our relationship when it comes to our nationalities.” Indeed, friction between the U.S. and Jamaica was high even before the Olympics even commenced. However, the lovebirds often try to turn it into a light-hearted quip.

Noah Lyles mentions, “Yeah, Jamaica does not care for the U.S. We have a joke in our relationship that’s like… I mean, because we both know that there’s a rivalry there. And Jamaica will cheer for me as long as they don’t have a dog in the fight.” However, he acknowledges how things turned a bit more drastic recently. “Unfortunately, they went from not having a dog in the fight last year to having a great dog in the fight this year. So they went from loving me to hating me very quickly,” he said. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, love prevails.

As it has from both sides. Lyles also agrees that there has been a substantial influx of support over the years. He says, “We’re thankful that, you know, there are people who are supportive as well as our relationship.” While they are grateful for that, Noah Lyles let EssentiallySports know exclusively that he and Junelle have a bond forged in steel. “But we know who we are. The two of us… we’ve been friends for years, and I’m very blessed to have her, and I’m so proud of what she’s accomplished.” As his eyes shone in the light of their shared love and respect for each other, it felt like they told the tale of two hearts beating as one!

Talking about his other sides, the gold medalist also shared his experience working with Tide: “I’ve loved seeing the process. I’ve loved this. This is why I can watch the commercial so many times. And, you know, there’s so many clips that we did that I wish people (6:12) got to see. I wish we had a blooper reel that that would be really good to see.”

Coming back to their story, Noah Lyles first met Junelle in 2017, and the two continued to be friends for nearly 7 years. But when the second wave of love hit, it was one that swept them off their feet in 2022. Thus, it is needless to say that the two have a solid understanding. He further mentions to ES exclusively, “This is her first Olympics, her first team where she’s been able to compete individually. And I’m just so proud of her and what she’s fought for to get here. I love that.” While there have been a few calling her out for not qualifying for the 400m finals or for allegedly slowing down the Jamaicans in the 4x400m mixed relays, her man is nothing but proud.

A love that stood the test of time

It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that the couple has endured a lot. Especially as things turned ugly when Lyles appeared on the Track World News podcast, where his comment escalated like wildfire. He mentioned how he knows information that other people don’t. Particularly citing how Junelle being Jamaican and having trained with MVP led to him getting ‘drama’ from the Jamaican camps for the past few years. It was like a kindness that led to a massive social media explosion.

But this time, when the rivalry spark got lit in the 100m finals, the couple seemed unbothered. Noah Lyles finished 9.79 with a 1/1000th second quicker than Kishane Thompson in the 100m finals. And some Jamaican fans seemed agitated by the decisions. But amidst all this, Lyles ran to hug Junelle and his mother after the sprint. Just a day before, Junelle had assured him, “I told him that he was definitely going to win.” Also, the world takes notice of her loving boyfriend’s behavior. After his 100m win, Lyles was reportedly on boyfriend duty at 2 a.m., running to the massage therapist to get Junelle’s spikes.

Whereas, when he got diagnosed with COVID at the Paris Olympics, she was right by his side. Attesting to how he was ‘coughing’ all night. Also, as Junelle dodged the incoming negativity post-Olympics, she added a post with the caption, “Melanin too dark to throw her shades.” Quick to support his partner, Noah Lyles added this to his story, writing, “I’m so proud of you, baby.” What do you think of their love? Let us know below.