Rooted in Track and Field, Noah Lyles’s Mom Opens Up on What Accelerated Olympic Gold Medalist Into the Sport

Back in 1995, Seton Hall track coach John Moon made a bold (and pretty accurate) prediction: “Their children are probably going to be very fast people.” He was talking about two of his standout sprinters at the time, Keisha Caine Bishop and Kevin Lyles. Fast forward 29 years, and guess what? Coach Moon nailed it! Their son, Noah Lyles, is now an Olympic sprint champion, living proof that some things really do run in the family. But while genetics gave Noah a head start, his mom, Keisha, added her own magic to the mix.

During her college years, Keisha set a few milestones that speak to her love for track and field sports. She was a nine-time All-American with the Seton Hall Pirates. Furthermore, in her peak time, Kesha won two NCAA national championships as part of the 4x400m relay teams. She also landed laurels in the 1994 Championship of America at the Penn Relays. Noah’s father competed in the 1996 Olympic trials. But once their college days were over, Keisha and Kevin hung up their spikes—at least for themselves.

After graduating in 1995, the pair got married and stepped away from competitive sports. But Keisha wasn’t about to let her son miss out on the track life. She had a different plan, though—she played it cool, planting the seeds of athleticism without pushing too hard.

In the Spotify podcast, “Got it From My Momma,” Keisha said, “I didn’t think about it as something different ‘cause we just all  had a lot of energy.” She then decided to get Noah interested in tee-ball to redirect his energy toward sports. According to her, “That’s the only thing you could sign up for.” Eventually, her son’s attention shifted to sports like soccer. How old was Noah by then? According to his mom, merely five or six. During those years, he found his brother, Josephus Lyles, to be the perfect companion on the field. Everything was unfolding just as Keisha had hoped, but she never forced her sons to pursue sports as their main focus.

Rather, the former track star believes life should take its own course. She reflects on one moment from her childhood that shaped this philosophy. Keisha Caine Bishop’s mother once told her that the secret to happiness is finding contentment. Since then, Keisha has embraced this idea, making it a guiding principle, even in raising her sons. Both Noah and Josephus Lyles were homeschooled, which, according to Keisha, opened up the world for them by giving them more opportunities to socialize.

At the same time, their parents enrolled them in every sports class they could, hoping the boys would find their ‘happy place’ in sports. One exception? Football. But that didn’t matter much—Noah found his passion in track and field. And look how that turned out! Isn’t it an extraordinary story? Meanwhile, the reigning Olympic champion, Noah, has nothing but love and appreciation for his mom.

Noah Lyles doesn’t have to look outside to find inspiration 

After seeing her son take away the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Keisha Caine Bishop applauded Noah’s relentless drive to reach the top. She said, “It’s his willingness to persevere through adversity. In our house, we call it ‘BBA’, (bounce-back ability). No doubt, Noah Lyles learned that character from his mom.

In a candid moment, the 27-year-old sprinter shared, “My mom is a hard worker. I remember her saying constantly, ‘I don’t care what the job is; as long as I’m able to make money for my family, I’ll do the job. And I will do it to the best of my ability.’” Noah Lyles has taken that lesson to heart, using it to power through the challenges both on and off the track.