Noah Lyles thrives on being the ultimate showman, and he doesn’t shy away from it. Who could forget the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials when Lyles made a grand entrance by flashing a Yu-Gi-Oh card? But this wasn’t just any card—it was the level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon, a symbol of unmatched power and invincibility, just like the character Seto Kaiba who wields it in the anime series. The card’s description reads, ‘virtually invincible,’ a phrase that might as well describe Lyles himself, a six-time world champion.

Lyles’ anime reference wasn’t just a playful nod to his favorite show; it was a declaration of his own indomitable spirit. And this bold gesture didn’t just resonate with his fans—it came with perks. In a recent post on X, Lyles revealed that his Yu-Gi-Oh card trick from the Trials earned him a lavish upgrade at the St. Regis hotel at an undisclosed location. Lyles’ revelation comes days after his teammate Kenny Bednarek was not offered a flight upgrade on his way back from Paris.

Apparently, a hotel staff member who had seen Lyles’ anime-inspired performance was so impressed that she decided to give the Olympic champion the royal treatment. “Never stop being a nerd!” Lyles boasted, showing that his passion for anime paid off in more ways than one. Maybe the woman was an anime fan herself, or perhaps it’s just that Lyles’ unique flair and unexpected references have a way of winning people over.

The Yu-Gi-Oh card he brandished was no random choice—it translates to ‘King of Games’ in Japanese, and Lyles was channeling that same energy as he set out to become the king of the track at the Paris Olympics. In the 100m dash, he did just that, clocking in at 9.79 seconds to officially become the fastest man in the world. But that was just one of Lyles’ tricks up his sleeve.

At the Trials, he carried a briefcase packed with “Exodia pieces,” including another card, the Forbidden One. These cards weren’t just for show—they reflected his anime spirit and came with a hefty price tag, some costing up to $500. Lyles explained that the cards weren’t just for amusement; they were part of his strategy to generate hype and excitement. “If you’re generating excitement and hype, it’s like, what’s in the freaking briefcase?” he teased, knowing well that the mystery was part of the allure.

While Lyles’ love for anime earned him luxury and fanfare, not every athlete was so lucky. Despite his stellar performance, even 200m silver medalist Kenny Bednarek didn’t get the same stroke of fortune, despite finishing over Lyles in the 200m dash with a silver medal. A disappointed Kenny took to his X, and wrote, “No flight upgrade after a silver medal🙁.” Notably, Bednarek’s 4×100 meter relay did not have the ideal finish.

A near-collision between Christian Coleman and Bednarek led to the baton being passed beyond the zone, leading to Team USA’s eventual disqualification. That led some enthusiasts to jokingly comment on Bednarek’s post that Delta, the official airline partner of Team USA might be upset with the relay results! However, this is not the first time the airline has come under the scanner for the way they transported the athletes.

The never-ending tussle between economy and business class

There have widespread calls for Delta to arrange a business class tickets for all the athletes for the months leading to the Paris Olympics. According to USOC communications chief Patrick Sandusky, all the athletes, coaches, and officials are offered one economy-class ticket each. They can upgrade at their own cost. This policy had caused some weird situations before the Olympics.

On June 25, US decathlete Harrison Williams took to X and posted pictures of him, Heath Baldwin, and Zach Ziemek after they qualified for Paris. He directly asked for business class tickets for the three from Delta. “Can we please get 3 business class tickets to Europe for the games? We’re all 6’5 and need those spacious lay-flat seats so we’re ready to compete,” William wrote. While most of the athletes had to travel in economy class, Simone Biles managed to fly in business class. Do you know how?

It is simply because Simone was not flying on Delta with the rest of the team! United Airlines is a sponsor of Simone Biles. The Tokyo Olympic year (2021) marked 40 years of the United supporting Team USA as their official airline sponsor. To mark that occasion, the airline had selected Simone as the face of its Time to let yourself fly!” campaign and arranged a business class travel for her. They did the same for this year as well. Notably, the battle to travel business class is nothing new in the realm. And bizarre incidents are also not rare.

During the Tokyo Olympics, United had posted a picture of Simone Biles in the United Polaris business class, holding a custom blanket that had a goat face printed over it. Looking at that the North Shore Gymnastics Association went all the way to launch a fundraiser to upgrade three Minnesota gymnasts to United Polaris. Even astonishingly, it raised $34,860 and one of the gymnasts could find a spot on United Polaris. The airlines have a logical explanation for offering only economy-class travel to the athletes.

It is simply the lack of availability. Even if an airline wants, it can not afford to provide premium cabins to all the athletes. Back in 2018, Delta denied the USA men’s curling team an upgrade while they were coming back from Pyeongchang citing unavailability. Despite the reasoning from the airlines, the upgrade issue keeps popping up in the scene every now and then. Do you think that Kenny should have been offered an upgrade? Let us know in the comments.