Noah Lyles may be enduring one of the toughest stretches of his career, but he refuses to back down. The reigning World Champion battled an inflamed tendon and a tight ankle back in April that sidelined him for three months and disrupted his outdoor season. Still, he stormed back with a stellar run at the USATF 2025 Championships. Yet, when it mattered most in Silesia on August 16, 2025, he fell just short. In a thrilling rematch with Kishane Thompson, the Jamaican surged to victory in 9.87 seconds, while Lyles crossed the line with his season-best 9.90 seconds. With only the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo remaining, Lyles has revealed one final mission before he sets his sights on Olympic gold.

Despite finishing second at the Diamond League, Noah Lyles remains far from satisfied. At the post-race press conference, the Olympian revealed that music is the fuel behind his performances but admitted he’s been struggling during the off-season. Hinting at a fresh start, Lyles suggested it might be time for a complete playlist makeover ahead of the World Championships.“Recently, I’m struggling a little bit now, though, because as we’re getting to bigger moments and the playlist has kind of changed a lot, I have to reform it,” said Lyles.

It’s been a chaotic season for Noah Lyles. An ankle injury sidelined him from the Atlanta City Games, keeping him out for three months. By the time he returned in July, rivals had surged ahead, Kishane Thompson blazing 9.75 at the Jamaican trials and Kenny Bednarek right behind at 9.79, making them the season’s fastest men.

Knowing that he has to make some shift before defending his world title, Lyles added “Usually, my playlists are very selective on, like, this song goes with this drill and this drill goes, you know, well, and I have a whole timeline of, oh, if I hear this point of the song, I know that I’m supposed to be on this part of my warm-up. So, it hasn’t been completely fleshed out. I need to get that done before Tokyo.”

Lyles even joked that he’ll call up his DJ friends to cook up a fresh playlist. But pause for a second—does that really make sense? In just a few days, he’ll be defending both his 100m and 200m world titles from 2023, yet instead of seismic shifts in training or recovery talk, he’s all about music. Is he masking his real prep? Maybe. Something feels off, but one thing’s certain: he’s fired up to defend his crowns.

“Super Excited,” Noah Lyles on his upcoming title defense

Unlike other sprinters, Noah Lyles certainly started his season late, but this might be a blessing in disguise. While others may be dealing with race fatigue from continuous competitions, that’s not the case for him. Although he is currently behind Thompson, Lyles is super excited to face him at the World Championships. “I’m super excited because I’m seeing the progression,” the 28-year-old American said at a news conference.

“Everybody else has probably had eight, 10 races already. I’m coming in in a rushed schedule. Sometimes you got to step back and be excited just for that,” Lyles understands where he stands now, but that doesn’t mean he will back off. While speaking with Olympics.com, the reigning world champion stated, “I’m usually a guy who has a lot of races under my belt.”

He further added, “I love to run and compete, so this is a very odd type of season for me. I’ve never had a season like this before, where I’ve had so few races.” With his eyes set on defending his title, Lyles is ready to take on his opponents at the World Championship. But with his injury still fresh, will he be able to give his best? Time will tell.