Noah Lyles and gymnastics? Yeah, sounds like a wild crossover—but it actually happened. Right after the Paris Olympics, Noah showed up at Fred Richard’s gym. Nope, not for some elite gymnast training or anything serious. It was all about comparing athleticism between two Olympic medalists from totally different worlds. Fred walked Noah through four basic gymnastics routines… and Noah nailed them. Like, perfectly. Turns out, the track star’s got serious gymnast potential too. They both posted the clips on Instagram, and fans couldn’t stop freaking out over how effortlessly Noah pulled it off. But what brought Noah to Fred’s gym out of nowhere? That’s the real mystery.

Turns out, Noah Lyles didn’t just randomly pop up at Fred Richard’s gym after the Olympics. In fact, Fred spilled the tea on Sam Oldham’s podcast this year, saying, “Noah, I actually knew him before the Olympics… he was already supporting me.” Surprised? Yeah, most people would be. But it’s true—the 100m Olympic champ actually keeps an eye on men’s gymnastics. And if you needed more proof, Noah recently posted something on social media that totally backed that up. Not only did it show he’s been tuned in, but it also echoed the same concerns Stephen Nedoroscik raised last year—highlighting just how rough things are right now for men’s gymnastics in the U.S.

On July 26, Noah Lyles reposted something from James Jones—a name you might not know, but you should. Jones runs a low-cost gymnastics club in Atlanta. Pretty cool, right? But here’s the problem: his job—and the entire gym—is hanging by a thread. Over the past few hours, Jones has been posting on X, explaining that his gym’s lease ends on August 1. That means they’ve got to pack up and find a whole new space. And here’s the kicker: according to Jones, his gym is home to the only Black boys’ gymnastics team in the entire U.S. But now, that team is facing an existential crisis. Why? Well… here’s where it gets dark.

According to James Jones, he actually did find a new spot for his gymnastics club. Problem solved? Not quite. When he tried to move in, Clayton County shut it down, saying the building isn’t zoned for sports. But here’s the shady part—Jones pointed out there’s literally a basketball gym just 50 feet away. So yeah, something’s not adding up. Because of these zoning rules, he can’t move the club there… and he can’t stay at the old place either. Basically, both doors are slammed shut. What makes it even more frustrating? A simple assist from College Park Georgia Athletics could’ve saved the whole thing. Just one hand to help… and this whole crisis could’ve been avoided.

In the post re-shared by Noah Lyles, James Jones laid it all out:, “Since 2019! We started because College Park GA who owns a state of the art gymnastics facility REFUSED to let boys compete on their team. We went to Clayton County & their Parks and Rec REFUSED boys gymnastics. So I took my own money and started this gym.” And now? That dream is hanging by a thread. With everything crumbling, Jones ended his post with a plea: “Anybody know of churches, school, anywhere we can use as a temporary location?” Just looking for a lifeline. Noah Lyles picked it up and boosted the message—shining a light on a situation way too many people would’ve missed. But honestly, it’s not new. Stephen Nedoroscik was calling out this kind of neglect in men’s gymnastics all last year. Now it’s staring us all in the face.

Stephen Nedoroscik started the protest that Noah Lyles has recently followed 

Back in 1981, there were 59 Division I men’s gymnastics programs in the NCAA. Fast forward to 2024? That number has plummeted to just 12. Yep, a jaw-dropping 79.6% drop. And just when you think things couldn’t get worse, they did. In October, Ohio State University—a school with a rich gymnastics history—announced it would cut athletic scholarships for men’s gymnastics. The timing? Couldn’t be more ironic. This came right after Team USA’s men earned their first Olympic team medal in 16 years (since Beijing 2008).

Never one to bite his tongue, Stephen Nedoroscik was rightfully frustrated. He called it out on X: “Ohio State removing athletic scholarships from Men’s Gymnastics. Yet again, another step backwards for MGYM. With the success of current and former NCAA gymnasts at the Olympics you’d think NCAA programs would be excited for the upcoming season, not stripping away opportunities.” But he didn’t stop at just one post.

Recently, on an episode of Mythical Kitchen with Josh Scherer, Stephen opened up about the whole journey—and the painful truth behind the fading support. “Since like the 1980s NCAA programs have been dropping, dropping, drop and drop. Even like recent days, like Ohio State just cut their scholarships.” Let that sink in: Ohio State hosted the 2024 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships, and still decided to slash support for the sport.

Any answers? Maybe not from the system. But Noah Lyles stepping up and sharing James Jones’s story shows one thing loud and clear: athletes are tired of waiting for institutions to care. They’re using their platforms to fight for the sports—and the people—that keep getting pushed aside.