Noah Lyles had a lot of baggage on his shoulders before entering the Paris Olympics. Many people were rooting against the athlete because of his comments about the NBA using the term world champions for its winners. He had also lost his high school coach after the Olympic trials, which meant that Noah had no time to grieve. He had to prove his naysayers wrong at the biggest stage in the world.

The athlete was successful in this pursuit, as he won the gold medal in the 100-meter race. Despite suffering from a setback in the form of COVID-19 in his pursuit of the 200m category, he still bagged the bronze medal behind Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek. Thus, the athlete’s Paris outing had an eventful and fruitful conclusion. Now, after the smoke has cleared, he has time to sit down and reflect on his performance.

During his visit to the Comcast campus in Philadelphia, he sat down with The Philadelphia Inquirer to talk about his journey to Paris. Noah Lyles talked about numerous things, like racing the 200m while suffering from COVID-19 and his motivation to not pull out from the race.

But what caught fans’ attention was when he talked about his future. The reporter asked him whether he planned to compete at the LA Olympics in 2028. He answered, “Oh yeah, I’m thinking Brisbane.” The Australian city is the location for the 2032 Olympics. When that competition comes around, Noah will be 35.

So the question that pops up in everyone’s minds is, can Noah Lyles’ claims of participating in Brisbane come true? Theoretically, it can. The athlete is still in great shape and form. The Paris Olympics proved this. An argument can also be made that had Noah not suffered from COVID, he may have clinched the 200m gold medal and completed the coveted double along with the 100m gold. If he can maintain this level of performance eight years from now, the SPRINT star could absolutely make it to Brisbane.

Justin Gatlin won the silver medal in the 100m at the Rio Olympics. He was 34 at the time. Gatlin ended up finally retiring on his 40th birthday. Many in the track and field community consider Noah Lyles to have more potential than the former American track star. Thus, he can bring home a medal at 35. This could potentially allow him to break Gatlin’s record as the oldest man to win an Olympic medal in a non-relay race. The Virginia native has shown an interest in Justin Gatlin’s records, as evident from the Paris Olympics.

Noah Lyles talks about becoming the first American to win the 100-meter gold medal since Justin Gatlin

During the same interview, Noah Lyles was asked about becoming the first American track star to win the 100-meter gold medal since Justin Gatlin. The former athlete had won his medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Post that, Usain Bolt won the gold in three back-to-back editions. Marcell Jacobs won the medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Thus, no American had touched the coveted prize for twenty years until Noah Lyles changed that. Trying to reinstate Jamaica’s dominance, Kishane Thompson also ran a noble race, but Lyles edged it by five thousand of a second. Now, he opened up about how he felt about the entire ordeal.

Noah said that despite the 90s being dominated by American athletes, the 2000s established Jamaica at the pinnacle. Nobody else stood a chance. The athlete wanted to change that, comparing his situation to Thanos. He said, “I was like OK, we need to bring this back home. This needs to be ours. It was almost like a Thanos moment. If you want something done right, then you need to do it yourself.”

In the end, Noah clinched the gold medal, proving his words right. The athlete’s entire career can be encapsulated by his huge ambition, much to many spectators dislike. However, he has made most of his far-fetched statements come true. Thus, if Noah Lyles sets his mind to it, he could easily compete at the Brisbane Olympics.