“They Just See 9 Seconds”: Noah Lyles’ New Sprinter Friend Talks Horrors of the Sport

Noah Lyles had a special guest on episode four of Sprinter Talk. A three-time NCAA champion sprinter, he also reached a World Championship final. He is considered one of the top ten fastest sprinters in the world. But there is more to his story than meets the eye at first glance. Lyles unpacked a little of the enigma that is Joseph Fahnbulleh.

Lyles and his new friend Fahnbulleh conversed about some challenges he faced. The latter reiterated the past year had been his rookie season at the professional level. While he did not, according to himself, set the world alight, Noah Lyles pointed out many sprinters would kill for that kind of year.

Joseph Fahnbulleh tells Noah Lyles that spectators see just the time recorded

While he agreed things went relatively smoothly on the track, Fahnbulleh admitted they were less off it. He said, “It was a good year all around. I’m healthy, you know. Now I’m healthy. I was battling a season-long injury with my Achilles. I’m saying ‘cause people don’t really take into consideration, you know, what is he going through.” 

The mention of the injury caught Noah Lyles by surprise. There was, however, more to follow. Fahnbulleh admitted he had a solid season overall. He said, “They just see the 9 seconds, or the 19, or whatever else you’re running on the track. They just see that, not are you dealing with anybody, anything else outside that. It was a good season if you take away what the goal was, to run fast, but overall it was solid.”

Fahnbulleh added people were focused only on the times recorded by the athlete, completely ignoring what goes on behind the scenes. The year opened his eyes to the reality of the pro circuit, he noted.

An eye-opening rookie season at the professional level

Fahnbulleh was struck by the harsh realities at the professional level. The 22-year-old Liberian-American sprinter clocked just his first season at the same. He added it was a rather different experience from what he heard others narrate. Fahnbulleh said, “Yeah, this past year was my rookie year, seeing how it is on the circuit and seeing what it is really being in it, and not just getting told what it’s like. Two different worlds.”

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Fahnbulleh added, as Noah Lyles nodded his agreement, that every athlete experienced the circuit differently. Even so, his first year was far from the best. Fahnbulleh said, “Also, every person’s experience is different. I feel like I went through, not the worst, but a really rough first year, so next year would be smooth.” He expressed his hope that the following season would go better.

Lyles pointed out he did not know what goals his new friend had set for himself. As a result, he could not disagree with Fahnbulleh’s assessment regarding the course of the season. But from another standpoint, he noted it was very much a successful year. Lyles had a successful year himself and will look to end on a high by attempting to break the 4X200m relay world record. It will be interesting to see if Lyles can cap a wonderful season with that achievement. Also, it remains to be seen how well the next season goes for Fahnbulleh.

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