The Paris Olympics Village, housing athletes from across the globe was touted to be a hub of excitement and camaraderie. However, the reality is pretty from that, as multiple Olympians ditched the co-living space for greener pastures. And about to join that bandwagon is also Noah Lyles, as he candidly revealed some hard truths about inhabiting the co-living space.

The 27-year-old stated the challenges include “not being able to find my own space within the village whether that’s eating or training in the gym”. While some athletes seem to have found a solution by booking their own hotels, the 27-year-old doesn’t want to do that, USA Today reported. “It’s kind of hard for me to find that space within the village and I don’t want to leave”.

Furthermore, Lyles’ newfound popularity, partly fueled by the success of Netflix’s “SPRINT,” has brought unexpected issues. “I’ve become kind of popular in the village. Unfortunately, that has come with its own set of challenges,” Lyles admitted.

The 27-year-old sprinter confessed how the attention is stressing him out. “But it’s definitely something I feel like after this Olympics I’m gonna have to have conversations higher up. Whoever that’s in charge of that and making that more available and more aware.” Even though he enjoys the whole experience at the village of being around the other athletes and engaging with them, he surely misses the privacy—a problem Team USA’s men’s basketball team haven’t faced since 1992.

Lyles also accepted that he was not the only person in the village going through the issue of getting constant attention. In what seemed like a plea for privacy, Lyles said: “Even though we might be superstars in your eyes, we still are human beings and we do want to be able to have our space and our time. I want to be able to enjoy the Olympics just like you guys are.”

Notably, this is not the first athletes have complained about the living conditions. Earlier, tennis star Coco Gauff took to TikTok to show the cramped apartment filled with multiple athletes. The video which also showed clothes strewn all over the floor and was clearly overcrowded, read: “10 girls, two bathrooms. #olympicvillage.”

However, later she confirmed she was the only female American tennis player still left at the village as others had left. “Like, at first I was going to move, and then when I kept meeting all these amazing athletes staying in the village, and then Rafa [Nadal] is staying in the village. So I was like, if he can do it, I can do it. But I understand why my teammates left.”

As for Lyles, he’s always showcased the grandeur that draws all eyes to him. At the historic Hayward Field, Noah Lyles enthralled audiences both on and off the track. He generated a buzz by walking in with Snoop Dogg. However, when it was time to compete for a spot in Paris, it was game on. In the 100m event, the sprinter blazed past the finish line setting his new personal best with 9.83 seconds.

He clinched another easy win in the 200m event with an impressive time of 19.53 seconds. Before he made his way to Paris, he clinched his final 100m victory with 9.81 seconds at the London Diamond League.

Clawing his way back to the top after 2020 Tokyo Summer Games

Noah Lyles was looking forward to clinch his first Olympic gold in the 200m event three years ago. However, he found himself trailing behind his teammate, Kenny Bednarek, and Canada’s Andre Grasse. While he clinched a bronze medal with his incredible time of 19.74 seconds, that wasn’t good enough for him. He told the media on Monday, “As a lot of people know, the last Olympics didn’t go to plan. There was a lot of rough ups and downs.” What many didn’t know back then was that Lyles was battling depression.

The London Diamond League 100m gold medalist started relying on medication to handle his mental health better in 2021. However, ahead of a busy schedule in Paris, the athlete triumphantly announced to the world, “I get to finally say that I am showing up to an Olympic games not depressed.“

For the unversed, Lyles will be competing in four events this year—100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay. Take a look at the roster:

• Men’s 100 meters: Prelims, Aug. 3(4:35 am ET) / Semi-Finals, Aug 4 (2:00 pm ET) / Finals, Aug 4 (3:55 pm ET)
• Men’s 200 meters: Round 1, Aug. 5 (1:55 pm ET) / Repechage round, Aug. 6 (6:30 am ET) / Semifinals, Aug 7 (2:02 pm ET) / Finals, Aug. 8 (2:30 pm ET)
•  Men’s 4x100m Relay: Round 1, Aug. 8 (5:35 am ET) / Final, Aug. 9 (1:45 pm ET)
• Men’s 4x400m Relay: Round 1, Aug. 9 (2:05 am ET) / Final, Aug. 10 (12 pm ET)

Taking about his mental health woes, competing in empty stadiums during the pandemic also left him feeling isolated.

“The Noah leading up to Tokyo was depressed. This Noah is not. And that’s a dangerous Noah.” His performances leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics truly show that he means business. Eyeing for his first-ever gold at the Olympics, Lyles is set to run on Team USA’s 4×100-relay squad along with the 100 and 200m. Despite his frustrations this time around, will Noah Lyles finally claim an Olympic gold as his own? We will know when the Olympic track and field competition begins on Aug. 1.