As pristine as the white pearls adorning his neck, Noah Lyles’ form on Day 3 of the US Olympic Trials was just flawless! After inviting a sea of eyes to watch his stints on Sunday, the defending 100m world champion delivered copybook finishes. Registering back-to-back sub-10 timings, he first wowed the audience with a wind-aided 9.80 in the 100m semifinals, followed by a personal best of 9.83 to qualify for his second Olympics.

But melded together with this 26-year-old’s on-track successes is the role of a veteran, Lance Brauman. Lyles’ coach since 2017, Brauman has been a guiding light for the American athlete. Naturally, ahead of his crucial moment before the Eugene finals, Brauman had some special advice for his star contender. But what was that advice?

Ditching the complexities, Brauman has a simple mantra for Lyles

Tackling high-pressure finals is never an easy job. Interestingly, despite the high stakes, Coach Brauman’s action plan for Lyles’ Olympic Trial final did not include any last-minute strategies or elaborate discussions. Instead, he relied on the basics. Spilling the beans of what his mentor instructed him to do, Noah Lyles said, “Coach (Lance Brauman) is a man of few words when it comes down to the finals,” via Deadspin.

The powerhouse athlete further added, “We both know that if I do what I’ve been doing in practice, the race is going to take care of itself.” Seemingly, Brauman numbered the words he left Lyles with, but he surely hit the brief. Rather than fazing his pupil’s mind with information, his foolproof agenda for Lyles was only to trust his preparation. “And that’s exactly what happened today” boasted Lyles subsequently, when he saw his mentor’s impeccable vision had helped him strike gold.

Well, Brauman doesn’t seem to be the one for drastic changes. A few months back, expounding on Lyles’ training approach, Brauman had said, “We haven’t changed really the normal training we do this time of the year. He’s gotten in the weight room a lot better this year. We’re lifting a little bit more aggressively than we have in the past. I mean, if it starts going to get better, he has to be stronger”. Simple but effective, seems the formula levied down the veteran.

Nonetheless, the Brauman spell has reaped excellent results for Noah Lyles. Not just his Olympic qualification, but the 2024 season so far, and some of his stunning achievements from last year prove that. Let’s have a look at Lyles’ recent wins.

Is the Brauman formula working for Noah Lyles?

Noah Lyles’ 2024 US Olympic Trials kicked off with a 9.92 opener. What he achieved later in the semis and finals was truly historic. However, that’s not all to his distinction. Earlier this month, Lyles secured gold at the USATF NYC Grand Prix in the 200m category. His spectacular 9.96 performance at the Bermuda Grand Prix earlier this year solidified his dominance in the 100m event. While these were flawless sprints, his unforgettable performances at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where he clinched both the 100m and 200m titles, further highlight his prowess. Now, the possibility of securing an Olympic medal lies ahead of him.

Naturally, Lyles’ training schedule and mentorship have played a huge role in obtaining these results. Previously, Brauman had highlighted that “For [Lyles] him, to be the athlete he’s capable of being, he has to get better in the first 40m of the race.” With his attention to detail, Brauman had pinpointed this deficit. Perhaps the duo must have been working on that, which has resulted in these incredible results. What do you think of Brauman’s strategies for Lyles? Let us know.