Noah Lyles has been fully focused on preparing for another demanding season on the track, but the Olympic champion took on a different kind of challenge away from competition this season. Before returning to racing, Lyles dedicated time to planning a special milestone for his wife, Junelle Lyles, after three and a half years of dating. Behind the scenes, those efforts made the wedding day a day full of surprises that Junelle will never forget.

On July 31 on PEOPLE’s WAG World, Junelle revealed that her favorite part of the wedding was the surprise appearance of Grammy-winning gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard, whom Noah secretly arranged to perform during the celebration.

“I was very surprised that he got Tasha without me knowing,” Junelle said. She explained that Noah had given her a small hint: ” he asked what my favorite gospel song was, and I was like, ‘You’re getting Tasha for the wedding, aren’t you?’ It’s like, no, but I was surprised to see her,” she recalled. The surprise became even more meaningful because the wedding was already an emotional day for Junelle.

While she celebrated marrying Noah, her late mother was not there to witness the milestone, and several of her closest family members were unable to attend after failing to secure U.S. visas, making the occasion bittersweet. Still, Noah made sure the day was filled with moments Junelle would cherish forever. The ceremony featured a long mirrored aisle reflecting the couple, the floral arrangements, and the surrounding scenery. 

Interestingly, much of the wedding planning was handled by Noah himself. Junelle revealed that while she only had two requests for the celebration, a reflective aisle and plenty of flowers, Noah took care of the rest. “Everything else was all him, and I was impressed. I would say I was very, very impressed, but I’m not a planner. I’m a visionary, and that’s it,” Junelle said.

Despite taking on the massive responsibility of planning his wedding, Noah Lyles continued pushing himself on the track and made his 2026 season another statement year.

Noah Lyles continues dominance with strong 2026 season ahead of major goals

Lyles began his 2026 season indoors by testing himself across different sprint distances. He opened the year in a 300m performance, running 32.15 seconds at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on January 24. He later competed in the 200m at the Tyson Invitational before running the 60m at the USA Indoor Championships.

Once the outdoor season began, Lyles quickly showed he remained one of the world’s top sprinters. At the Tom Jones Memorial in April, he clocked 19.91 seconds to win the 200m and later helped his team run 37.78 seconds in the 4x100m relay. Lyles continued building his form and then delivered the biggest performances of his season at the Rome Diamond League. In the men’s 100m, he overcame a slow start and produced his trademark finish to win in 9.88 seconds.

He defeated Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, who finished second in 9.94 seconds, and Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, who placed third in 9.95 seconds. He also tested himself in the 150m at the Ostrava Golden Spike, running 14.67 seconds, before returning to championship racing. At the USA Championships in July, Lyles delivered his biggest statement of the year by running a world-leading 9.79 seconds in the 100m final. 

While balancing a demanding season, Lyles still found time to handle one of the biggest personal moments of his life!