Olympian Noah Lyles will stop at nothing to prove he’s one of the fastest men on the track.
Lyles made headlines at the Paris 2024 Olympics when he took home the bronze medal for the 200-meter final after testing positive for COVID-19. The coronavirus guidelines in Paris do not require athletes to isolate themselves or withdraw from events.
After finishing the race, Lyles, who has a history of asthma, fell to the track. Medical staff tended to the runner and escorted him off the track in a wheelchair. Hours later, Lyles announced that his Olympic journey had come to an end.
“First I want to thank God for getting me through this entire Olympics! Second, I want to congratulate @tebogo_letsile_ , @kenny_bednarek and everyone else on an amazing Olympic 200m final,” Lyles wrote via Instagram, tagging the gold and silver medal winners. “Finally I want to thank everyone for the supportive messages. I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics.”
He continued: “It is not the Olympic I dreamed of but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart. I hope everyone enjoyed the show. Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you? 😉 See you next time.”
Keep scrolling to get to know Lyles:
He’s Got Bronze and Gold Medals
Lyles earned his first gold medal in the 2014 Youth Olympics. Seven years later, he qualified for his first Olympic Games in Tokyo. He took home the bronze medal for the 200-meter division.
Going into the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lyles revealed it was his goal to win four gold medals. However, he ended up winning gold in the 100-meter race and bronze in the 200-meter.
He’s Neck and Neck With Usain Bolt
Since Bolt’s retirement in 2017, Lyles has been deemed the current “fastest man in the world.” While Bolt holds the record for the fastest time at the World Championship with 19.19 seconds, Lyles earned the second-best time in History with 19.31 seconds.
“Noah Lyles is a great athlete,” Bolt said in an interview for the Netflix docuseries Sprint. “He is full of energy. He has the crowd … Mentally he is very strong. He believes in himself. But if he breaks the world record, I am not gonna be happy.”
He’s Candid About His Mental Health
Lyles revealed that he struggles with ADD, depression and anxiety. In 2020, he shared via social media that he was taking antidepressants.
“Recently I decided to get on antidepressant medication. That was one of the best decisions I have made in a while,” he wrote via X. “Since then I have been able to think without the dark undertone in mind of nothing matters. Thank you God for mental Health 🙏🏾.”
Lyles went off the medication ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, because he thought they were affecting his energy levels. Despite going off the prescription, he doesn’t regret being candid about his struggle.
“It was strictly for the idea that I had taken something, and it made me feel better. And I knew there was a lot of people like me who were too scared to say something or even start that journey,” he told TIME in August 2021. “And I wanted them to know that if you see me in a big light, I want you to know that it’s OK to not feel good. And you can go out and talk to somebody professionally, or even get on medication. Because this is a serious issue. You don’t want to wake up one day and just think, I don’t want to be here anymore.”
He’s a Big Fan of Nail Art
Lyles expresses his personality by rocking nail polish. He’s donned colorful nails for track meets and other events. For the 2024 Paris Games, Lyles went with a Patriotic theme and donned a red, white and blue design. At one point, he had the word “icon” painted across his fingers.
While some find Lyles’ style to be unique, more traditional fans have questioned the look. Lyles, for his part, doesn’t care what the haters think about his nails.
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Katy Perry ‘Swears By’ This Light Therapy Wand That’s Now 35% off! View Deal“I’m a person who knows that a lot of people have different opinions and they have them for different reasons,” Lyles exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2024. “To be honest, I’m so confident in myself that it doesn’t really matter. I think it’s funny at times.”
He’s Dating Fellow Olympian Junelle Bromfield
Lyles and the Jamaican runner first connected on social media in 2017 but didn’t start dating until five years later.
“My girlfriend’s on [a] team as well, so we are training together and we’re comPeting most of the same day,” Lyles exclusively told Us of him and Bromfield in July 2024. “We have that mental space to be able to share with each other and continuously feed to each other.”
