By now, Noah Lyles is no stranger to hate or trolling. Well, a lot of things he says or does end up garnering intense reactions from people. Sometimes, even from his own countrymen. Remember when he had to come off X for a while after SPRINT premiered? He even discussed the ordeal by stating, “I was more shocked of, I don’t know…the toxicity from the U.S. on their own people!” While he expected a feisty response from the Jamaicans, the reactions from Americans completely took him aback.

But, a lot has changed since then. Noah Lyles represented the USA at the grandest stage of them all. He won a 100m Olympic gold for the country, 20 years after Justin Gatlin brought the last one home at Athens. Moreover, he extended his country’s honors by winning a bronze in 200m. Although the men’s 4x100m relay ended up being a debacle in his absence. And oh, to be part of the majestic Paris Olympics opening ceremony, while donning the colors of the USA flag on his Ralph Lauren blazer and his jazzy nail art. But when he got asked recently what it feels like to represent the side, here’s what he had to say.

Lyles offers his take on dealing with two sides of the coin while representing the USA at the Olympics and beyond

Having finished his season already, Noah Lyles is out and about. His recent stop was at the Comcast Campus, in Philadelphia. While discussing his 2024 Paris Olympics journey, Lyles mentioned what it means for him to represent the American stripes in Paris and beyond. The 3x Olympic medalist answered, “It’s a conflicting battle, honestly.” He seemed to be caught between two distinct emotions, “You have such pride growing up American and you want to win and you want to add to that medal count, but at the same time we go through our own struggle in life.”

Lyles then throws light on the struggles that have weighed strongly on him over the years. He adds, “Whether that’s being a Black male or being someone who is just trying to find their own identity in life. That’s always going to be part of being an American.” Nevertheless, Noah Lyles wishes to be a paragon and aims to usher in the change, “Hopefully, as I’m able to represent us I’ll be able to bring light on both subjects, and not only educate, but also push the boundaries on what it means to be an athlete and human being.”

Well, this isn’t the first time Lyles is voicing his stance on this question. Earlier in March, he called representing the U.S. at the Paris Olympics Games a ‘bittersweet experience.’ Perhaps that has not changed. Speaking to Fox News Digital, he had said, that he truly believes the Americans are the best in the world, particularly in sports. Moreover, he feels good to add on to that collection and be a part of an exclusive club. However, his voice hardly trembled when he said, “But at the same time, it’s with a heavy heart because being Black in America, there’s a lot to deal with…” The Virginia native even suggested that it’s hard to love a country that sometimes doesn’t love you back.

Lyles stands on shaky ground in this aspect. Especially with all that has happened in the past. The trend seems to have continued with what’s happening to Junelle Bromfield right now, with the Jamaicans.

Noah Lyles’ unending controversies

Remember when Noah Lyles commented about the NBA? He said, “World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S., at times, but that ain’t the world.” Now that is something that attracted a lot of hate from American NBA players, say Kevin Durant who said, ‘Somebody help this brother.’ Even American basketball fans expressed their frustrations and asked Lyles to shut his mouth. Nevertheless, his strong feelings toward America and the NBA have caused some fans to withdraw their support for him.

While that gradually subsided, when Noah Lyles sprinted to Olympic gold at Stade de France, Team USA basketball men were seated to watch the sprint live. That is what rekindled the fire, especially when Devin Booker said he still does not agree with the comment. If that weren’t enough, Noah Lyles landed in the midst of another controversy, this time with American NFL player, Tyreek Hill. The two wish to shut each other down with a sprint battle. However, all this places Lyles in the eye of the storm every so often.

And post the Paris race, a similar pattern is unfolding with Junelle Bromfield. Her underwhelming performance in Paris and claims of feeding off secrets from Jamaican tents to her American boyfriend Lyles, has landed her in hot water with the Jamaicans. To an extent that she confessed, “I had Jamaicans in my inbox saying that they wished my foot gets broken when I’m running at the Olympics….”

Amidst things like these, Noah Lyles has been supporting her emotionally. But, when it comes to his own experience, he’s tied up in a conflicting battle. What do you think about this? Let us know below.