Apart from dominating their respective sports, athletes also focus on serving looks. The 2023 World Athletics Championships were lit up by Noah Lyles through his scintillating runs and also by his grooming choices. During last year’s world championships, Lyles was seen rocking a two-strand twists haircut which he claims resulted in some amazing pictures during the tournament.

He also revealed that before this year’s world championships in Budapest, his coach had instructed him to also focus on his hairstyle, since the narrowest of margins count in the quest to break world records.

In fact, his coach wanted his hair to be aerodynamic for Budapest, and this proved to be a challenge initially since the tournament was scheduled for nine to ten days. As there are not enough hairstyles that can last for ten days, Lyles had a real task on his hands and he spent a lot of time deliberating with his braider about what will be the most efficient hairstyle choice for him.

Which hairstyle did Noah Lyles rock in Budapest?

While talking about his world championships look, Lyles compared his hairstyle to cyclists spending thousands of dollars to keep their cycles in top shapes. Lyles also had to consider the fact that he would already be in Budapest before the ten-day-long world championships even started. This is why he needed a hairstyle that could last for a long time since there wasn’t anyone in Budapest who could later help him with his hair.

This resulted in Lyles and his braider coming up with different sketches for his hairstyle. While opening up about his world championships hairstyle to GQ Sports, Lyles said, “We decided to do two braids to the outside, because we feel that it structures my face really well. Then we created the lightning bolt, and then we finally did fishbone braids in the middle of that dead space.” 

Lyles further added that his team also created a lightning bolt and added some color to it, which might be a reference to the Jamaican Usain Bolt. He also revealed that he chose fishbone braids, as this was a hairstyle that would have lasted for a longer time. The world champion highlighted that fishbone braids comprise smaller braids, which prevent them from loosening quickly.

Lyles also revealed that his world-championship hairstyle lasted for three and a half weeks, in which he won a hat trick of world championship gold medals. During the same interview, Lyles also called out a global music icon amidst his ongoing NBA controversy.

American world champion calls out Drake

When Noah Lyles first started getting trolled for his NBA comments, many NBA stars called out the world champion online. Joining the bandwagon was Canadian musician Drake, who had earlier written, “thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before…now the whole league doesn’t rate u” 

Now weeks later in his latest interview, Lyles clapped back at Drake’s comments and said, “There are a bunch of funny things that come from it, like having Drake notice it. Like, Drake, what are you doing here? Go back home. This is an NBA conversation.” 

Read more: “Uncrowned King of Track”: Apart From Making Waves in Track and Field World, Noah Lyles Astounds Fans With a Fashion Update

With Team USA’s recent 113-111 semi-final loss against Germany in the FIBA World Cup, the debate has once again started on whether NBA winners should be called world champions or not.

However, Noah Lyles remains unfazed by all the criticism as he continues to dominate the track world with his performances while also serving looks with his grooming skills.

Watch this story: After Flaunting World Championship Medals, Noah Lyles Gets Back to Hustle Again Ahead of Prefontaine Diamond League