Imagine: less than 10 to go before the Tokyo World Championship, where you arrive as the defending 100m and 200m world champion. But the season hasn’t been ideal: you’ve lost three 100m races, and your Olympic rival has emerged as the fastest man of the last decade. In the 200m, your form is strong, yet that same rival is still a serious threat. What would you be doing now when you land in Tokyo? Train for your races? Not denying that Noah Lyles is not doing that, but he is having a fun time as well, cheering for his favorite gaming team.

The League of Legends Championship of the Americas (LTA), unveiled on October 31, 2024, serves as the premier competitive league for the Americas region. It features two conferences: LTA North, formerly the LCS, and LTA South, formerly the CBLOL. LTA North announced via Twitter a tweet on September 5 that said, “100 THIEVES DEFY ALL EXPECTATIONS AND SECURE THEIR SPOT IN THE TOP 3 OF THE #LTANORTH #100TWIN” 100 Thieves is an American esports organization affiliated with the NBA team Cleveland Cavaliers.

Noah Lyles was in the comment section rooting for the team. He tweeted, “@100T_LoL for the WIN!“. In Round 3 of the Championships, 100 thieves famously beat Cloud9 in a nail-biting 3–2 series. Then they had to face Shopify Rebellion, and guess what? The faceoff began on September 7 and there was a moment in the match when of the 100 thieves players, ‘Dhokla‘ was not playing at all. He sat back in his chair, hand behind his hand, relaxing.

Or as the team itself took to its official X account and said, “Dhokla is aura farming on the #LTANorth stage” while posting a video of it. The 100m world champion was again in the comments, and he said, “Look mom no hands.” Thieves looked every bit the Rebellion of victory by a dominant score of 3–0. They tweeted, “Thieving our way through the Rebellion. 3-0 vs @SRLOL #100TWIN.” A world champion in the comments?

Yes, Noah Lyles was once again there. This time he wrote, “Crack the vault ✅Get the Win ✅ Get away laughing ✅”. That win has ensured that the 100 Thieves booked their spot in the Grand Final, where they’ll face FlyQuest for the title and a direct berth to the World Championship. He truly is enjoying his time in Tokyo. This is not a newly formed relationship either with the Olympic gold medalist. They go way back.

Noah Lyles has been cheering on the 100 Thieves for a long time. Last year, the League of Legends World Championships featured an exciting showdown between PSG Talon and 100 Thieves, with 100 Thieves ultimately coming up short. The 100mWorld Champion was standing in their support. He said via X, “This team surpassed expectations time after time this year and surprised the world” in reply to a post announcing their defeat.

Patting them on the back, he also said, “I see this being the beginning of a legacy.” Lyles also has received a custom gaming keyboard from 100 Thieves, which features the Yu-Gi-Oh! card Exodia the Forbidden One, Noah’s sponsor, Adidas, collaborated with the 100 thieves, where Noah Lyles serves as the face.

Together, they designed a line that blends gaming culture with streetwear and outdoor style, featuring sneakers like the Palos Hills, Savage, and Adilette Slide, as well as apparel including hoodies, jackets, zip pants, t-shirts, hats, backpacks, and co-branded socks.