“Do what makes you happy. If you love it, go after it with everything you have,” Mama Lyles explained this to young Noah & Josephus as she prepared them for the world. The Lyles family was like any other: meeting bills, paying taxes, and most importantly, making the best out of everything they had. Maybe that fueled Noah Lyles‘ passion, as he never stopped dreaming.

And now, he proudly stands as the 100m Olympic champion, edging over Kishane Thompson by five-thousandths of a second. The night of August 5th, 2024 lured 7.9 million viewers worldwide as the 27-year-old stood victorious on the purple tracks of Paris. 9.79 – the final time read, and the 50 stars on the American flag beamed with pride. But just like Mama Lyles once said, ‘success doesn’t come overnight,’ the sprinter had to suffer a lot before achieving stardom. And for that, the fastest man in the world narrated his story to us.

But before we get in, here’s the note he left for his current self. “I mean, I’ve been very blessed. And, you know, now I can say that my name, Lyles, is a household name. And, of course, I know that my younger self would believe everything that I’ve said, but still, it had to happen.”

In an exclusive interview with Essentiallysports, Noah Lyles described how his childhood looked like. The sprinter was brought up in Alexandria, Virginia alongside his brother Josephus & younger sister, Abby. Oldest of the pack, Noah always looked after his siblings. But, for Lyles, things were not easy, as he had one hurdle to cross – bullying. He was being bullied in middle school, that shattered his confidence in himself.

But little did he know about the storm coming through, as it was 2010 when everything changed. Keisha Caine & Kevin Lyles announced their split. The 13-year-old searching for a light was blindsided with darkness. Heartbroken, he packed his bags and moved out with Josephus into a single apartment. The trio barely had money to spend and had to sleep on the floor. 

“Our lights were shutting off,” Noah explained during the conversation. And yes, his words cut like a sword. However, his uncle, Rahsaan, was his savior sheltering him for days. Back then, Noah Lyles’ mother stepped out to sell makeup. It was her first job after the divorce, and her sons were supportive. And well, they had their battles to fight, so looking at their mother working hard, the Lyles brothers followed their dreams. For the starters, Noah Lyles picked up gymnastics, but soon he changed his sport gear and entered the track and field arena.

Noah Lyles’ tryst with success following a difficult childhood 

In 2012, Noah and Josephus saw legends like Justin Gatlin, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce & others chasing track and field glory at the London Olympics. This pushed them to want one thing, an Olympic gold. So, the world’s fastest man closed gymnastics doors and dashed straight to the track.

Life picked up. While luck didn’t run by their side, he took every stride to change it. Four years of sweat & blood put Noah Lyles on the US team for the 2016 World U20 Championships in Poland. As the Polish crowd had their eyes on him, the sprinter took the 100m crown and later guided the team to take home the 4x100m relay.

The fire within grew. Committed to the Florida Gators, Noah Lyles spent most of his time on track. Participating in college meets, bettering his times & so much more. Brands kept knocking on his door, but when it was Adidas, he answered. He knew his life was changing, and he was ready to accept every inch of it. After all, Noah once mentioned how Keisha couldn’t buy him $11 Walmart shoes, and now he could wear anything he desired.

Since 2019, Lyles has shown nothing but growth. Starting as a 200m specialist, the sprinter brought home bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. At the Budapest World Championships, he attempted something iconic – he clinched 3 golds and got a tag of ‘threepeater’. That put him right behind Usain Bolt’s record.

Interestingly, after surpassing Michael Johnson’s long standing national record at the 2022 World Athletics Champiosnhips, Noah Lyles overhauled another record set by Johnson. At the 2024 US Olympic trials, Lyles set a new 200m Olympic qualifying record of 19.53, surpassing Johnson’s 19.66s time set during qualifying for the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. But in all this stardom, one thing that Noah Lyles always held dear to his heart is the jump.

The jump from having nothing, to having everything he could ever ask for. Talking about his future plans with EssentiallySports, Lyles added, “I’m buying another house, you know, hopefully having two homes. And that’s, you know, a crazy concept to tell an older me, you know, you forget turning the lights on, you know, you now have two properties you got to keep on the lights for being able to start a nonprofit to help others with not only just physical abilities but their mental abilities as well. Being able to travel, you know, I’ve been on private jets, walked, met galas, you know, talking to some of the greatest, the top level of people’s crafts, you know, whether that’s in sports or fashion or music.” 

What’s next for Noah Lyles? Well nobody knows. But one thing is for sure the 100m Olympic gold medalist is not going to stop. After all, this man with his plan, will re-write history.