As the lights dimmed and the Paris Olympics opening ceremony dazzled the world, Noah Lyles stood beneath the spotlight, delivering a statement that sent ripples through the crowd. “So this is a moment I want to enjoy. LA (2028) is not promised, so take it in now,” he declared, sparking whispers that this might be his final sprint on the Olympic stage. But hold onto your seats, because this story is far from over.

Fresh off the track with a gleaming gold and a hard-earned bronze, Lyles’ performance in Paris proved that his fire burns brighter than ever. In a sport where most athletes peak by their mid-twenties, Noah defies the norm. Just days after revealing his COVID-19 diagnosis and wrapping up his Olympic run with that bronze finish, he told EssentiallySports exclusively, “I’m not like the rest!”

Consider Usain Bolt, who retired at 31—the same age Noah Lyles will be when the LA 2028 Olympics roll around. Yet, as the closing ceremony of the Paris Games draws near, Lyles, ever audacious and optimistic, contemplates his future. Standing on the very track where he reaffirmed his title as the “Fastest Man in the World,” he looks ahead with unyielding determination.

Our correspondent in Paris, Shreya Verma, collaborated with Tide for the interview and seized the moment to pose the question on everyone’s mind: “Usain Bolt and other greats retired around the same age you will be in LA. So what’s next for Noah Lyles? Will you compete in LA 28?” With a grin that spoke volumes, the “3 Peat” World Champion didn’t hesitate: “I’m definitely competing in LA 28. I plan to compete in Brisbane. No, yeah, I’m definitely, yeah. Yeah. What, 32? Brisbane 32. I’ll be 35,” he realized mid-thought.

But Noah Lyles seems to have a head start on his game plan for his future self. A quick glance at the record books shows that legends like Usain Bolt, Ato Boldon, Tim Montgomery, and Maurice Greene all retired before or at 35. But Noah is aiming to push himself beyond those limits. He told EssentiallySports, “Yeah. No, I think I’m very blessed to have found a great health plan very early in my career. So I believe that the longevity that I have in this sport is going to be longer than others.” And it’s not just Noah who believes in his ability to outlast the rest!

Noah Lyles is just entering his prime, says the mastermind behind his meteoric rise!

Despite the intense hype surrounding Noah Lyles and the formidable competition from Kishane Thompson, Ferdinand Omanyala, and Oblique Seville—who had stunned in the semi-finals with a blistering 9.81 seconds—Lyles managed to defy the odds and clinch victory in the 100m sprint. He edged out Thompson by a mere 0.005 seconds, a testament to his incredible speed and resilience. But the real story of his grit came in the 200m, where Lyles, battling not only asthma but also a second bout of COVID-19, earned a bronze medal behind Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek.

His coach, Lance Brauman, revealed that on the night Lyles won bronze, he was running a fever of around 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius), making the achievement even more remarkable. Brauman praised Lyles’ performance, saying to The Associated Press, “Those guys raced great. But to get a bronze medal in 19.70 with a temperature of about 102, that wasn’t too bad.”

Lance Brauman reflected on the immense difficulty of surpassing a gold medal in the 100 meters at the Olympics, describing it as “probably the most important medal” while also acknowledging the distinct sense of fulfillment Noah Lyles would derive from his bronze. Although Lyles had openly sought to emulate Usain Bolt’s iconic three-gold feat, his achievements in Paris fell short of that lofty aspiration. Yet Brauman expressed a hopeful vision for Lyles’ future, noting that he is only just entering his prime.

“He’s going to be really good through LA at least, and then we’ll see what happens after that. I just need him to keep doing what he’s doing,” Brauman observed. He spoke candidly about Lyles’ struggle with COVID-19, emphasizing that despite his illness, Lyles’ ability to secure a medal was extraordinary. “What he had to do to muscle out that medal, that’s going to be hard to forget,” Brauman remarked.

So, will Noah Lyles defy the odds once again when the 2028 LA Olympics roll around four years from now? As he noted, he’s not like the rest! What are your thoughts on his reflections from the Paris Olympics shared with EssentiallySports? Let us know in the comments below!

In addition, 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.”