Fresh from a second-place finish in his 100-meter heat, Team USA’s Noah Lyles has warned his rivals he is even more pumped up now that his quest for Olympic gold is underway.
Lyles progressed to the semifinals in a time of 10.04s after making up for a sluggish start off the starting blocks. It was more than enough to see him safely through to tomorrow night’s semifinals, and Lyles says the complacency that affected him in the heats will not be on display tomorrow night.
“I didn’t put enough emphasis on the acceleration, this time it just kind of got away from me,” Lyles reflected after his heat. “I’m not going to lie, I downplayed my competitors. But don’t worry, that won’t happen again.”
“To be honest, I think I’m more excited now that I didn’t win that heat. I’m pretty scared for everyone else right now.”
When Lyles made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, he admitted that the lack of crowds at the Games really got to him, describing his bronze medal win as “boring.” Around those Games, he also opened up about his struggles with his mental health, particularly perpetuated by the ongoing Covid pandemic and the pressures of life as a black American following the murder of George Floyd.
Since then, Lyles has become a global star, winning both the 100-meter and 200-meter titles at last year’s World Championships in Budapest – the first athlete to sweep those titles since Usain Bolt. Last month, “Sprint,” a behind-the-scenes Netflix documentary focusing on the fastest humans on the planet, premiered with Lyles as one of its main stars.
“It’s a lot more exciting, it’s way different,” Lyles said about competing in front of the packed-out Stade de France. “‘Sprint’ came out. I now walk around and everyone knows who I am. It’s a completely different environment so I’m just getting acclimated to that. I’m going in step-by-step saying hey, let’s just have some fun.”