“None of them is winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed,” Noah Lyles declared confidently before the 200m race at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, the race didn’t go as planned for the Team USA star. Lyles, who was favored to win gold, ended up finishing third. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana exceeded all expectations, clocking in at 19.46 seconds to claim the gold and make history as the first African to win an Olympic 200m title.

Lyles’ surprising third-place finish shocked fans, especially after his bold pre-race statement. He later revealed that testing positive for COVID-19 before the race had affected his performance. This admission led to a wave of online criticism, with fans questioning his reasons for not living up to expectations.

Track Spice posted a clip of Noah where the 100m Olympic gold medalist was seen addressing the criticism and suspicion about why he was running and jumping before the actual race if he was not well. Lyles opened up about why he chose to compete despite his condition. Noah’s response was emotional, as he explained his determination to push through despite the odds, trying to meet the expectations of his fans and himself, even when his body was not at its best.

Lyles didn’t hesitate to address the doubts, saying, “If I didn’t do that, I would not have been able to encourage myself enough to get excited to run the race.” He explained that pushing his limits before the race was essential to find the mental strength to compete. Those moments weren’t just routine for him—they were about sparking the determination he needed to perform, even under tough circumstances. He also talked about how he tried hard to trick his mind and body into touching that finish line.

However, once again, he ended with a sentence that directly shows his self-proclaimed ‘GOAT’ behavior as he said, “But that’s only stuff a champion would know” which again made the fans furious as they think he always makes excuses whenever he loses despite boasting as the best runner and verbally throwing challenges.. This has been going on since he vowed to break Usain Bolt’s record.

But as Noah had said to Sky Sports, “I try to be a showman – some people criticize me for it, some people love it.” This very approach has brought him back in the spotlight, once again facing online trolling after leaving the track in a wheelchair following the 200m event. Fans have voiced their frustration with Noah Lyles’ Paris Olympics performance, igniting heated debates and strong reactions.

Fans ask Noah to come up with performance, not statements

After Noah Lyles unveiled the reason behind his leaps before the 200m race at the Paris Olympics, fans threw shade at him and called him pretentious. One fan wrote on X, in a tiring tone, “At this point … We are tired, Noah,” expressing the fans’ exhaustion from hearing the same thing repeatedly from him. 

Another fan shared his disgust for Noah on X by commenting, “Wack 🤦🏾‍♂️ we ain’t tryna hear that.” The fan criticized Lyles’ explanations for his performance, arguing that they fell short of addressing the issues and seemed irrelevant. The commenter suggested that Lyles should spend less time explaining himself. Instead, he should focus on dominating the track.

The next admirer pointed towards his arrogance in gaming, as the fan commented, “Always with the excuses. He needs a good lesson in humility. Maybe he can ask the gold medalist 😏.” He thinks Lyles is too full of himself and fast to make excuses instead of admitting his mistakes. After talking about the gold medal, he believes this incident was necessary for Noah so that he can behave better.

The next fan became frustrated by listening to Noah’s explanation and commented, “@LylesNoah please big dawg. Stop it. Stop lying,” apparently challenging Noah’s claim of ill health. By calling him ‘big dawg,’ this fan expressed that even after having so much confidence in his game, he still had to come up with all the excuses. Does it even make him a sporty player? That remains a question here.

Next, a fan came up with Noah’s tendency to compare himself with Usain Bolt and thinks the score has been settled. They commented, “Noah, no, you cares…your no Bolt!” So, even though Noah was determined enough to run with his health setback, fans did not take it well. Noah and 40 other athletes tested positive for COVID-19 at the 2024 Paris Olympics.