Noah Lyles with his flag and 1st place 100m medal at the World Athletic Championships in 2023.
Tried and True
Noah Lyles: a name feared in all short sprint events in track and field. The presence of Noah Lyles is one that cannot be ignored as a fan nor as a doubter. In a sport taken with the utmost seriousness, Lyles showcases a lively presence that excites viewers, engrossing them in his next race. With his numerous records and accolades, Noah Lyles is considered the best 200m sprinter in recent years. As he publicly stated, Lyles is narrowing in on a multitude of records, confident in his ability to dethrone Usain Bolt as the fastest recorded man in the 200m.
Simply Success
With childhood roots in Alexandria, Virginia, Noah Lyles’ talent cemented his name in the history books of his hometown. Becoming a professional athlete immediately after high school was undoubtedly a bold decision, one that would not only impact Lyles, but the modern and future states of the Track and field world as well. Anticipating attendance at the University of Florida, Lyles instead made the commitment to join the sportswear company Adidas for his professional career. Since he became a professional, Lyles broke an abundance of records and is currently the face of the sport both on the track and in the media. Track and field is a sport that requires an immense commitment to consistent work and perfection, which causes it to be taken incredibly seriously by not only athletes but fans and officials alike. In recent years, Noah Lyles aroused excitement for the sport with his energetic personality and outstanding confidence; Lyles evidently took inspiration from legend Usain Bolt, who also implemented crowd work into his performances on and off the track. But Noah Lyles is not just a media spectacle, he backs up his exuberant personality with wins and broken records on the track. Running countless races in his seven years as a professional athlete, Lyles has been able to become a six time world champion, earn bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Team USA, and even break Michael Johnson’s 26 year long American record of 19.32 seconds during the 2022 World Athletics Championships. In addition, Noah Lyles even broke Usain Bolt’s record for an amount of sub-20 second 200m races (most athletes would be proud to run sub-20 just once). Only the greatest of athletes are allowed to claim that they have had documentaries made after them, and now Noah Lyles is one of them. His recent documentary series, Untitled: The Noah Lyles Project, is now available on Peacock, and it details his sprinting journey as well as all of the people that are instrumental to his continuing success. With the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon, Lyles has his goals aimed at Usain Bolt’s 200m record; he hopes to better his already impressive personal best of 19.31 seconds past Bolt’s best of 19.19. To Lyles’ benefit, he already claimed gold in 2023’s World Athletics Championships in both the 100m and 200m races–a feat only the most elite athletes can achieve–setting him on a path of accomplishment similar to that of Usain Bolt.
Noah Lyles after winning the 200m in the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Chasing Lightning
Extremely evident are the reasons that Noah Lyles chose “Chasing Lightning” for the title of the first episode of his documentary. Not only is he coming after the 200m world record of Usain Bolt, but he is pushing his body to the limit as he finds out how fast he really can be. Running is often compared with lighting because of its quick tendencies and explosive nature: all things Noah Lyles possesses. While Noah is regarded as one of the best 200m sprinters to ever live, his career is far from over. At only 26 years old, he has been peaking for the past year, working day in and day out in order to achieve his dream. His presence on and off the track are testaments to who he is as a person and as a role model for the younger generation. With athletes like Lyles energizing the sport with their personalities and abilities, they continue to entice viewers into wanting to see what they will do next. This excitement is what motivates a new generation to outwork and out do what their heroes did before them. Noah Lyles will never be forgotten because his impact and presence make the world stop and stare, but don’t blink because you might miss him.
To be honest I have never been very involved with track, and never heard about Noah Lyles until reading this. However, this article shed light on how fascinating and impressive the world of track can be. Not to mention how inspirational it is, especially considering the amount of hard work it takes to become an Olympian. I had no idea another track athlete was on the way to breaking Usain Bolt’s record! The fact that Noah Lyles is from the United States makes it even more exciting; I look forward to rooting for him in the next Olympics.
This is a very interesting story. I feel like we hear so much about Usain Bolt in the sport of track and field that we do not hear about anyone else. For instance, I instantly knew who you were talking about when you talked about Usain Bolt, but I never knew that there was someone who was faster than him like Noah Lyles. I feel track and field needs more media attention than it has now. I like that Noah chose “Chasing Lightning” as the first episode of his documentary because it truly describes how these athletes look when running.
Wow. Only 0.12 seconds off of Usain’s record?! That is quite a remarkable accomplishment and as suggested by your post, it doesn’t seem like he is stopping anytime soon. I follow the track and field world quite a bit myself, but I am encountering much of the information in here about Lyles for the very first time! Take that as a compliment, evidence that Lyles should be talked about more in the world of sports, or a mix of both 🙂 Excited as I am to see where Lyles will go with this, I maintain a high level of interest in Matthew Boling’s entrance into the pro-track scene. Maybe you’ll be so generous as to cover him in one of your future posts!!
Wow I cannot even imagine. Being the best in the world at something is crazy. The dedication it must take, especially since you mentioned he is at the peak of his career. I will be looking for him in the Olympics. I admire the discipline and dedication he has put into it. Being an athlete normally comes with so much more, and it is impressive he is able to maintain a social presence as well. Your post has been really insightful, keep up the good work!