2024 Olympics- 60m finals. One question on everybody’s mind: Noah Lyles or Kishane Thompson. The Jamaican’s breath was almost on the shoulders of the American track and field star, but Lyles was just quicker, in not giving up the lead. The man clinched gold with a time of 9.79 seconds. But his Paris pursuit didn’t end there. The 200m final at the 2024 Olympics had everyone watching closely as Noah Lyles lined up once again, hoping to secure another gold. His usually unstoppable finish showed signs of strain. Despite a relentless push, he was edged out by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and teammate Kenny Bednarek. Crossing the line third, Lyles claimed the bronze (19.70), a hard-fought medal.

What few know is that the Olympian was fighting for his life just days before the race. Two days prior, Lyles had tested positive for COVID-19. Battling chills, fatigue, and a sore throat, he chose to run through the pain. But that wasn’t his first rodeo, oh no. Noah Lyes was THE name when he was in high school, and the kid fought countless problems then as well. What were they?

“I feel like a lot of my challenges actually came outside of the sport. You know, of course, we talked about asthma for a little bit, but then we go into school. You know, I we got ADD, but I also got dyslexia,” answered Noah Lyles when he was asked about his struggles during the latest episode of Funky Friday. Lyles was diagnosed with asthma in early childhood, experiencing frequent hospital visits due to severe attacks. By age 12, he was also diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia, which made tasks like reading and standardized tests particularly difficult. Other than this, he also had allergies, anxiety, and depression. These things made school difficult for the Olympian. 

He recalled, he was, “Just fighting through school was Like my whole challenge, you know, what it is. Um, I’m just here so I don’t get fined. I’m just in school, so I can run drag. That was my mentality.” Noah Lyles attended T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, which was later renamed Alexandria City High School in 2024. He began his track and field journey at age 12 and quickly became a standout sprinter, setting national high school records and earning accolades such as the 2015 High School Boys Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News. So his dedication to school just to run paid off.

He further said, “I was just trying to, you know, pass and be able to move on to whatever is after high school cuz I knew if I got there then I’d be able to take over the world. And you know, finally I made it.” Although he initially committed to the University of Florida to compete for the Florida Gators track and field team, Noah Lyles and his brother Josephus chose to go professional in July 2016, signing with Adidas instead of attending college.

Speaking of his first year after school, he said, “And my first year, you know, was great. You know, I’m training. I had broken like the 300 meter indoor world record at the time. I was like, “Oh, you know, I’m you know, I’m the man. you know, I’m I’m turning into a beast.” In 2016, he passed school. 2017, at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He clocked a time of 31.87 seconds, narrowly surpassing the previous mark of 31.88 seconds set by Wallace Spearmon in 2006. After that, we all know the beast he has become. 

Noah Lyles: The record breaker

Noah Lyles’ journey to becoming a world-class sprinter began in an unexpected arena: gymnastics. Born on July 18, 1997, in Gainesville, Florida, Lyles was introduced to gymnastics at a young age. His parents, both former track and field athletes at Seton Hall University, recognized his athletic potential early on. However, it was during a pivotal moment in 2012, while watching the London Olympics, that Lyles and his brother Josephus decided to pivot towards track and field, setting their sights on the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At the age of 12, Lyles transitioned from gymnastics to sprinting. In 2014, he represented the United States at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, clinching a gold medal in the 200 meters. The following year, he set meet records at the Arcadia Invitational, running the 100 meters in 10.17 seconds and the 200 meters in 20.48 seconds. His performances earned him accolades.

By his junior year in high school, he was already making waves in track and field. In January 2015, he cleared 2.03 meters in the high jump. In 2016, Lyles had a standout year. He won the 200 meters at the New Balance Nationals Indoor and set meet records in both the 100 meters (10.17 seconds) and 200 meters (20.48 seconds) at the Arcadia Invitational. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, he ran the 200 meters in 20.09 seconds, breaking a 31-year-old national high school record and finishing fourth overall.