When the years catch up, many athletes shrink from the truth or try to outrun it. But for Noah Lyles, it’s about sitting back with a calm smile, accepting the passage of time without regrets. The sprint king beamed as he reclaimed the 200m throne at the Tokyo World Championships, marking his fourth successive medal in the event. Yet even as he chases that dream, Lyles’ thoughts have already drifted beyond the track. You might wonder, to where? Retirement.

With multiple Olympic and World Championship medals to his name, Noah Lyles has accomplished it all in his career. The only chapter left is the inevitable reality of retirement. “I know I’ve run my last lap when I leave a World Championships with zero medals. And it wasn’t because of injury or something like that,” said Noah Lyles in a conversation with Speakeasy. This adds to Lyles’ recent words from the Worlds, where he said that he plans to have a final year somewhere between “2028 and 2032.” Those words had likely hinted that he ruled himself out of the 2032 Brisbane Games, where he turns 35.

And now, while speaking to Speakeasy, Lyles further added, “When I leave because of zero medals, or I failed to make a team for a reason of just not being the top dog, or I wasn’t good enough to make the team, I’m like, “All right, it’s time. Next year, it’s time for the swan song, and it’s time to let the next generation have it.” Will he be running until 45? Certainly not. When asked, the fastest man in the world firmly denied it, saying that the age of 34–35 marks the final phase of his career, and beyond that, who knows?

Laughing it off, Noah Lyles chuckles at the very idea of retirement, a notion almost unthinkable given he is at the peak of his powers. Yet, it wasn’t always this way. Just a few years ago, Lyles faced one of the darkest chapters of his career at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Battling depression and personal struggles, he still managed to claim the bronze in the 200m behind Canada’s Andre De Grasse. But despite standing on the podium, the medal felt hollow; he knew he hadn’t yet reached his true potential. His redemption certainly came at the Tokyo World Championships!

After the Paris Olympics last year, Lyles realized he had already crossed the midpoint of his career. “Last year in Paris was the halfway mark for me, literally turning 26 to 27 in Paris, I was like, ‘OK, I’m on the other half of the hill’,” he told The Guardian. He reflects on his age constantly, using it as a compass to maximize every moment of his athletic journey.

“If I really push everything I want out of every year and month and week and day that I have, I don’t think I’ll ever regret any of the years,” said Lyles. The athlete has been contemplating retirement from the sport, partly to pass the baton on to the next generation.

Noah Lyles is positive about the newer generation

Back at the Tokyo Worlds 200m finale, Noah Lyles was the second-oldest contender for the gold, trailing just behind Britain’s Zharnel Hughes. Both of the pair are now being overshadowed by the youth. Well, Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson, both 24, claimed 100m gold and silver, while 21-year-old Bryan Levell took bronze behind Lyles at the 200m finale. That’s not all – 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo is just 22. The depth of talent in track and field would probably make the 2028 LA 100-meter lineup similar to the 2012 London Olympics starting lineup.

But if you think that was all, you are gravely wrong. Noah Lyles is also keeping his eye on the 17-year-old Gout Gout of Australia, who, despite making history as the youngest 200m competitor in Tokyo, fell short of the finals. Well, Lyles knows Gout personally as they connect through Adidas. “He’s obviously so young, very talented, but there are so many people who have been talented in our sport that unfortunately haven’t been able to hit that upper echelon,” Lyles said about Gout.

He further added, “It’s more about what’s the path he’s going to take, who’s the team that he’s going to take with him, and how much work are you going to put into not just being athletic, but knowing that you’ve got to be a businessperson and you’ve got to be it young. That’s the hardest part about being such a young talent, you have to grow up so much faster than everybody else.”

With so much raw talent waiting in the wings, it’s only natural for the current generation to eventually pass the baton, and Lyles fully understands this. With his own plans unfolding center stage, what are your thoughts on his words?