Overcoming Tokyo Failure, Noah Lyles Recalls How Rewatching That Moment Still ‘Burns’ His Chest

You may know him as one of the world’s fastest men now. But Noah Lyles had to jump several hurdles to get there. During the fast-paced environment in Tokyo, the six-time world champion clinched his first Olympic medal at the Summer Games. But beyond the joy of finally being an Olympian, Lyles was battling his own internal demons at the time. He was dealing with a surmountable amount of mental-health struggles during what many would say is the best day of their lives.

After running for the race of life, Lyles found himself breaking down around the reporters. One of the many reasons for this was not having his brother Josephus with him at the Games. He then goes on to describe his “greatest medal”, “It burns my chest every time I think about it.” Despite securing the third place, Lyles felt like he was a failure. He still often watches the final on YouTube, “It is physically very hard for me to push play.” The reminder of how he felt at that point doesn’t haunt him as much anymore. He continued, “But every time I look at it, I’m just like, ‘Yeah, I am not that guy anymore.” Looking back, Lyles decided to change his approach, which has led him to climb up the ranks in the past three years since!

After having ran a world-leading 200m at the trials, Lyles had started his Tokyo Games campaign emerging as the favorite to bring home the Olympic gold. He had won the 100m and 200m races at the Doha Diamond League in 2019. But that didn’t do much to his morale by that point in time. A swelled up knee, zero motivation, and his mental health struggles played a crucial part in his bronze at the Olympics.

But Lyles was disgruntled because he believed he just tagged along with his brother for the ride. Josephus had been vying for Olympic glory since 2012, but fell short of qualifying for the delayed Tokyo Olympics. The Diamond League champion found himself battling with the idea of how it should’ve been his brother instead of him.

However, after Lyles looks at his Tokyo run differently now. He now believes that this event was a catalyst for him dominating the World Championships. He continued to push his boundaries and bore the fruits of his hard work during the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Lyles ran a record breaking 19.31 seconds in 200m, claiming his second world title effortlessly. His impressive time broke a long-standing record of 19.32 set by Michael Johnson.

Lyles continued to impress at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. He clinched a gold with a stellar time of 9.83 seconds in the 100m event, setting a new personal best. At the same event, he secured another goal in the 200m final with 19.52 seconds. Lyles has wracked up six world titles, five more after the disappointing night in Tokyo. He expressed, “I feel that if I would have won gold that day, I would have become a little content in who I was.” As horrible as he felt before and during the Tokyo Summer Games, it has played a huge part in molding the Olympic bronze medalist’s journey to be one of the best track and field athletes.

Noah Lyles vying for Olympic glory at the French Capital 

The six-time world champion will now be gearing up to represent the nation once again in his second Olympic run in Paris. He stepped into an electric atmosphere at Hayward Field to compete against rival and Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek in the 100m. With a slow start to the race, Lyles was trailing behind the reigning 60m world indoor champion, Christian Coleman. But as he approached the 50m mark, he slowly started fading away.

Using this to his advantage, Lyles picked up the slack and blazed right past him. Lyles clinched an easy win by clocking in 9.83 seconds, effortlessly punching his ticket for the French capital. Kenny Bednarek, who bested Lyles at the Tokyo games, trailed behind him at 9.87. Fred Kerley crossed the finish line a second later with  9.88, securing himself a third place. Christian Coleman came fourth with 9.93 seconds, barely missing out on making the Olympic team.

Along with eying Usain Bolt’s records at the French capital, Lyles has his eye on yet another prize. After qualifying for the 4x100m event in Paris, he is looking forward to breaking the long standing 24-year-old track and field curse. USA last secured a gold in the event during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and since then has never been able to win it. But Lyles believes this time things will be different. As he makes his way to Paris, Lyles is looking forward to shaking the feeling that once clouded his head back in 2020. Will Noah Lyles walk away with an Olympic gold this time around? Only time will tell!