Risky Start to Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles Confronts Sprint Troubles Ahead of Making History: “Always Fidgeting”

Champion. Showstopper. Trailblazer. When the final whistle blows at the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles hopes to wear all these crowns—and then some. At just 26, this self-assured sprinter is set to seize gold medals, smash records, and turn track and field into a showstopper that captures American hearts and minds long after the Olympic spotlight fades. Well, this athlete wasn’t always so confident. He’s weathered storms of depression, battled asthma, and faced the harsh winds of bullying. As the Paris Games approached, it all began with a huge risk for Lyles!

Noah Lyles had made it to the semifinals, clocking in as the fastest 12th among all contenders on August 3rd. However, on August 2nd, Lyles shared on the YouTube channel, “Noah Lyles, Olympian,” to reflect on his journey. As the reigning World Champion and the fastest man in the 100m for 2023, he shared how the past year has turned his career around.

Lyles revealed that his previous struggles with the 100m felt like being out of his element, whereas the 200m was a breeze. “I remember all those other years, and I wouldn’t have, like, comfortability in the blocks whenever I did the 100. Every time I went to the 200, I was like, ‘Oh, this is natural; this feels good. I can just jump into it,'” he said.

He confessed that finding his stride in the 100m was always a challenge, but after the past year, things have become second nature. As he says, “For the 100, I was always fidgeting, trying to find my good spots and trying to find the groove. But after last year, it’s all just been easy and natural.” Now, getting into the blocks feels like slipping into a familiar rhythm, and he’s fully prepared to run fast. “Like, damn, that’s a good feeling to have; the difference a year makes, you know.”

Now, Noah Lyles affectionately refers to the 200 meters, where he is a three-time world champion, as “my wife,” while the 100 meters is his “mistress.” But it wasn’t always so smooth. In 2021, amidst the global turmoil of COVID-19 and the delayed Olympics, Lyles struggled with severe depression that impacted his performance in Tokyo. His third-place finish there, in front of near-empty stands and without his family, marked the last time he lost a 200-meter race.

Lyles has been candid about his mental health battles, attributing his success to overcoming depression at that time. But then his renewed zest for life and sprinting led him to focus on the 100 meters, a distance he had previously neglected. By 2023, Lyles had dedicated himself to improving his burst from the starting block and his first 60 meters, aiming to excel in the shorter sprint.

His hard work paid off at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where he won gold in the 100 meters with a personal best of 9.83 seconds on August 20. Five days later, he claimed gold in the 200 meters with a time of 19.52 seconds, securing his third gold medal in the event and cementing his place as the second-best all-time in the World Championships 200 meters, just behind Usain Bolt. This is now a year that has changed his life. and now everything seems to be perfect. His goal for this year is to break Usain Bolt’s 100 and 200m records, but before that, he faced tough competition.

Lyles faces strong competition as Paris 2024 heats up

Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, and Marcell Jacobs all advanced to the men’s 100m semifinals in Paris 2024, despite a surprising turn of events. On August 3rd, Lyles, the reigning world champion, posted a time of 10.04 seconds, making him the 12th fastest overall. He was edged out in his heat by Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe, who clocked 9.99 seconds and was trained by Olympic legend Carl Lewis. Kenneth Bednarek and Fred Kerley led the pack with identical times of 9.97 seconds, setting the stage for a potential showdown with Lyles.

Thompson, the fastest man of the year with a time of 9.77, secured his heat victory with a time of exactly 10 seconds. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Eseme finished with 9.98 seconds, and Jamaica’s Oblique Seville clocked 9.99 seconds, joining Bednarek, Kerley, and Hinchliffe in breaking the 10-second barrier. Despite the fastest time in the heats being 9.97 seconds, Noah Lyles’s personal best stands at an impressive 9.83 seconds. Given this, could Lyles potentially surpass Usain Bolt’s record times of 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 seconds in the 200m?