“To be honest, at the end of the day it’s just rivalry, and I expect the rivalry to be hot, you know?” Noah Lyles said in the podcast, Track World News on July 15 while talking about competition from Jamaican sprinters. The rivalry has indeed remained “hot” for the most part. He has drawn flak from Jamaicans over downplaying the threat the country’s sprinters pose. However, when it comes to his fandom in Jamaica, it’s a different story according to his girlfriend.

This year, Lyles’ only 100m loss came at the hands of a Jamaican sprinter, Oblique Seville at the Racers Grand Prix meet in June. But then after his win at the US Olympic Trials, he claimed that it would be different in Paris and that “there is a difference from running in Jamaica to running at an Olympics.” Then talking about Keshane Thompson he said he hope he “stays healthy” in a tongue-in-cheek comment given the Jamican’s history with injuries. Lyles may not have endured himself to Jamaican fans after these comments but has been given the superstar treatment in the country.

On July 22, the couple sat down with Andrew Greif from GQ to converse on several topics. Lyles’ girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, shared that Jamaicans love Noah Lyles despite being the tallest body in the rival camp. Bromfield recalled when they visited her home country last year and arrived at a Montego Bay hotel they received special treatment.

According to Bromfield, the hotel manager upgraded them to the most luxurious suite, complete with a butler, and even waived off the entire bill. But that’s not all. She revealed that when they were heading back to the U.S., the customs officials whisked Lyles out of the line for tourists and bumped him to the front of the lane reserved for locals. “That’s the difference between Jamaica track and field and the US track and field. And he’s not even Jamaican.” Bromfield said.

Back in May, during a press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Lyles had brought to light the attention he received while he was away with Bromfield in Jamaica. “When you go to Jamaica, I tell everybody you’re treated like a freaking rock star. It’s nothing that you’re gonna get anywhere else.”

He added, “Me and Junelle were here last year in October, late October, and we were just here for three days, and I went to the hotel and once they figured out who I was, and it was like, ‘Oh, no, no, you can’t stay in that room, you gotta stay in this room.’ I’m just like, ‘it’s just three days.’ It’s like, ‘no, no, no, no, you gotta stay here. You gotta stay here.’ I’m just like, oh, wow. I’m not used to that treatment.”

During the GQ interview also, Lyles was quick to point out the difference between the treatment of track and field athletes in his home country and Jamaica. “In the US, you’re not gonna get that, right? Because there are just so many other stars that they have that they would put that on a platform, and they just haven’t put track-and-field athletes into that equation,” he said.

The USADA has come under fire from the likes of Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson about its treatment of its athletes. Lyles caused a stir when he revealed his experience with USADA shortly after winning at the World Athletics Relays. The rigorous protocols overshadowed his moment of joy following the relay team’s Olympic qualification. Furthermore, in his Instagram story, Noah Lyles put, “Just when you think the job is done, doping control comes take away the fun. It’s 1 a.m., I haven’t eaten, definitely haven’t slept, definitely haven’t shower. All I want is to go home.”

Despite finding himself in the firing line from Jamaican fans, Lyles has also recently acknowledged that sometimes the hateful comments the track and field athletes from the USA receive are from their own people and not the rival fans.

Noah Lyles shocked by the toxicity of people 

Lyles has often been in the spotlight not just for his athletic achievements but also for his outspoken nature. Recently, he addressed the criticism and negative comments he and other athletes received, particularly from his U.S. fans. This backlash has influenced his decision to step back from using the social media platform X for a while.

On the Track World News, Lyles acknowledged that he expected Jamaican fans to cheer for their countrymen against him and called it a part of the rivalry. However, he said he was surprised by the negativity from US fans directed at their athletes.

“I think I was more shocked of the toxicity from the U.S. on their own people. I was literally on Twitter one day and I see Rai [Benjamin] talk about Sprint. He was like yeah it conveyed what it needed to convey. Somebody literally posted – ‘man shut up you weak’. I’m like bro what the heck? It was not a Jamaican account. This is an American account,” Lyles shared.

Lyles, who has qualified for both the 100m and 200m by finishing in the top two in both events at the trials, seeks to demonstrate respect in the evenly-matched US-Jamaican rivalry.