Noah Lyles, world’s fastest man, looks to go faster in Paris

The fastest man in the world has three therapists.

Like many other Olympians taking center stage in Paris over the next two weeks, track star Noah Lyles is prioritizing his mental health while he chases gold.

On the path to his second Olympics, the Northern Virginia native is still trying to outrun the disappointment of Tokyo, where he finished with a single bronze medal.

He talked openly about his struggles with mental health at the time. Three years later, he is in a much better place, he told The Washington Times.

“Overall, I’d say my mental experience is way better than last time. I’ve been very cautious, making sure that I do the right things, even pre-prepping instead of waiting for something and reacting to it,” Lyles said. “I want to be prepared for as many possibilities and knowing that things are out of my control sometimes.”

Part of that preparation meant adding a therapist to the two the 27-year-old already sees to help get ready for the pressure, scrutiny and spotlight waiting in Paris.

The Olympic expectations for Lyles are colossal. The Alexandria sprinter, an alumnus of T.C. Williams High School, has drawn comparisons to Usain Bolt as one of the greatest of all time.

Lyles earned the title of “fastest man alive” last year when he won gold in the 100 meters at the world championships in Hungary. He also earned his third consecutive championship in the 200 meters and another gold in the 4x100-meter relay.

World championships are nice, but this summer’s Olympic Games are a different beast.

Lyles struggled at his first Games in 2021, leaving Tokyo with a bronze medal in the 200 despite entering as a favorite. That’s in the past.

“We don’t even talk about his three gold medals last year,” Lance Brauman, Lyles’ coach, said when asked whether he ever discusses the 2021 Games. “I feel like that answers that.”

Conversations around athletes’ mental health have shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the sports world in 2020.

Led by outspoken advocates such as Lyles, who started a nonprofit dedicated to health and wellness for young people, teams and organizations are now more proactive in providing resources.

“Before, it was kind of a situation like, ‘Yeah, people go through it, and we have a few programs,’” the sprinter said. “I feel it wasn’t talked about much before COVID. … Now, they’re a lot more vocal about the programs that they have for it and how to actually get involved.”

Finding the fun

Despite the added pressure of an Olympic year, Lyles has stayed loose. He has gold medal aspirations, but the Team USA star is having fun on his way to the Games.

Lyles went viral at last month’s Olympic trials for dramatically revealing “Yu-Gi-Oh!” cards before each of his races. The cards, which derive from a popular Japanese animated series, were a way for the self-described anime lover to stay loose.

He started with a “Blue Eyes White Dragon,” arguably the most famous monster in the franchise, ahead of the first 100-meter trial.

Before the 100 semifinals, he showed off “Exodia,” a legendary card that automatically wins games for a player.

The cards weren’t entirely his idea. They came from a bet with shot-putter Chase Jackson. A fellow anime fan, Jackson imitated Rock Lee from “Naruto” by theatrically taking off training weights before a throw.

“I couldn’t say no,” Lyles said of the dare. “I just felt it was very on-brand for me.”

The friendly agreement also played into his broader approach to racing since the disappointment in Tokyo. Running, he said, should be fun.

“That has been my mindset over the last three years, just remembering that having fun is the most important part,” he said. “If I’m not having fun, then I’m not enjoying what I’m doing and everything becomes more stressful.”

Part of Lyles’ rejuvenated approach to racing lies in his mindset. He has embraced his “main character energy,” calling it essential for any top-tier athlete to avoid feeling like “another gear in the clockwork.”

“As an athlete, especially as an Olympian going after medals, you have to believe that you are the star of the show every time,” he said. “Because if you don’t, somebody else is thinking that way and they’re more likely to win than somebody who thinks, ‘Maybe I have a chance.’ If you’re thinking that way, you probably already lost.”

Olympic goals

Lyles enters the 2024 Olympics as a heavy favorite to take home gold in the 100 and 200. He is also a lock to contend for a medal with the American 4x100 team, and the world’s fastest man has also offered to run in the 4x400 relay.

“I can’t say for sure that that’s going to happen,” Lyles said of the 4x400. “But if the phone rings, you know Superman is going to answer.”

The second-time Olympian said he has his eyes on at least three gold medals and potential world records.

“I’m always planning on breaking records, I’m always planning on running faster, I’m always planning on shooting for the stars,” Lyles said. “That’s the way I think, and some people criticize me for that. But I don’t care; it’s my life. If I don’t try and do my best and give 100%, then I’m going to be more upset with myself than anybody else will.”

Brauman has coached Lyles for eight years. He said Lyles is unchanged despite the ups and downs, disappointments and successes. The sprinter still takes coaching advice at every opportunity, studies film and analyzes ways to improve.

“He’s always been kind of the same guy. He had a lot of stuff going on at that time, but it never really changed who he was,” Brauman said, referring to the Tokyo Games. “He’s just as hungry and excited about running now as he was before.”

Now three years removed from Tokyo, Lyles appears ready for Paris. He set a personal best in the 100 meters on Saturday in his final race before the Olympics.

“I’m going to win,” he said Saturday about his Olympic expectations. “That’s what I do.”

Running in memory

This year’s competitions have taken on a deeper meaning for Lyles since the unexpected death last month of his high school track coach, Rashawn Jackson.

Jackson coached Lyles and his brother, Josephus, at Alexandria City High School, formerly known as T.C. Williams.

“If he wasn’t my coach, I don’t know how far I would’ve gotten. … He saw the talent that we had, but he knew that we were just kids,” Noah Lyles said. “Of course, we had big dreams, and he knew that, but he coached us just like anybody else.”

Lyles’ list of accolades grew under Jackson and former coach Michael Hughes.

In 2015, Track & Field News named Lyles the high school athlete of the year. He broke a 31-year-old high school record a year later by running 200 meters in 20.09 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Lyles’ lasting memories of Jackson focus on their relationship off the track.

He remembers post-competition pizza dinners and joking that his photos would one day adorn the restaurant’s walls. He reflects on Jackson’s old car — it regularly broke down on the way to competitions. After becoming a professional athlete in 2016, Lyles and his brother bought a new car for their beloved coach.

“Now you don’t have to worry about being late for practice anymore,” they told Jackson.

Lyles said he believes Jackson will be watching when he hits the starting blocks in Paris.

“Hey coach, we did it. We reached the top! I always thought that you would be here to see when I reached the peak though,” Lyles wrote on social media on July 1. “I guess you will have to know you are watching from heaven.”