All of Noah Lyles‘ achievements so far seem larger than life. The 27-year-old has his eyes set on the 200m record of the Jamaican sprinting legend, Usain Bolt. Targeting Usain’s record may seem naïve, but Noah’s career has been so impressive that no claim looks too tall. If he will achieve his goal is for us to wait and watch. However, we can safely say that Lyles has cemented his place as an exceptional sprinter. Noah Lyles’ childhood played a crucial role in his journey to the zenith.

The Olympic champion discussed his childhood, his family, and the road to the Olympics in the latest episode of his podcast, Beyond the Records. Noah has always had Olympic aspirations. After all, he comes from a family of exemplary athletes, “Surrounded by Olympians growing up and I am just going along my day thinking, I mean if you want to be an Olympian, you just go get it right? Like it’s like getting a driver’s license.” We wish it were that easy for everyone, Noah! Being surrounded by Olympic athletes was not enough. Other factors in his childhood made Noah Lyles turn to track.

Talking about his decision to turn to sprint, the Florida native shared an anecdote from early in his life, “Now it’s my turn to get into track because I am tired of playing basketball with people who don’t have the same drive as me so I am going to do this individual sport where I can control my destiny”. However, his determination and Olympic aspirations resonated with his brother, Josephus Lyles.

Josephus and Noah decided together to go to the Olympics one day and since then, they have been steadfast on that path. Noah remembers Josephus telling him, “If we improve a second every year, we could go to Olympics”. The two brothers are unbelievably close and when Josephus did not qualify to run the 200m race at the Tokyo Olympics, Noah had a tough time grappling with that fact. However, since then, Noah has consistently worked on himself. He has faced adversities but emerged stronger than them, anyway.

Noah Lyles’ battles and how he wins them over

Athletes now and then will struggle to deal with the pressure that so often accompanies their dizzying rise to the peak. Serena Williams, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Michael Phelps are all examples of exceptional athletes who have struggled with mental health issues. Noah Lyles too has opened up about the emotional and mental price he has had to pay for his fame.

Noah is still trying to make sense of the form his life has taken following his rise to fame. In particular, for Noah, the invasion of personal space is something he especially struggles with, “People come up and touch you because they feel like they know you. They’ve grown up with you; they’ve seen you through the screens,”. In the face of his meteoric rise to glory, Noah continues to struggle to draw boundaries.

Whatever life throws at Noah, the 27-year-old courageously deals with it. Winning for Noah is a habit. Noah’s wisest words came after his resounding Olympic victory. The Florida native shared on his X account, “I have Asthma, allergies, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!” Those are words to live by for sure Noah!

Noah’s relentless positivity is infectious. Of course, he has supportive friends and family to express gratitude towards. Noah’s family of athletes welcomed his decision to one day go to the Olympics. When Noah and Josephus informed their mother of their decision to participate in the 2016 Olympics, she agreed, “Okay if you do your job, I am gonna do mine”. Supportive parents can do wonders for children’s mental health. Noah has also found support in his extraordinary partner, Junelle Bromfield.

The couple got engaged in October last year and we could not be happier for them. “To My Future Wife I Will Love You Forever”, were Lyles’ words for Junelle. Most importantly, much of Lyles’ greatness is because of the person he is.