Noah Lyles Sets World Championships Title Defense Aside to Embrace New Priority in Tokyo

Imagine this: There are 8 days left for the Tokyo World Championships, and you are the 100m and 200m world champion. But then you did not have the greatest of seasons, lost three 100m races, and your Olympic rival is now the fastest man the world has seen in the past 10 years. In the 200m, you are doing great, but your rival poses a threat nevertheless. What would you be doing now when you land in Tokyo? Train for your races? Noah Lyles has a different strategy.

“Made it Tokyo! Who tryna go do some karaoke,” tweeted the 100m world champion on September 5, 2025. Apparently, the first thing Noah Lyles wants to do after landing in Tokyo is some good old Karaoke. Now, if you see any videos of him singing, don’t be surprised, he has always been a man of Karaoke.

Back in October 2024, he was seen in a playful “Hurricane Karaoke Session” with Fiancée, Junelle Bromfield, while spending time together in Florida. In another moment, Noah shared a fun karaoke moment with his brother Josephus, where they performed “Smoking Out the Window” by Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, and Silk Sonic. And if you ever search the internet with Noah Lyles and Karaoke, you will find a video of the world champion uploaded on his YouTube channel, too. Posted in February 2024, “How’s my Karaoke?” features Noah and another guy, who, if we take a guess, looked like Kenny Bednarek. And there is one more interesting fact that you might not know!

Also, according to a training guide, Karaoke is listed alongside other dynamic warm-up drills like A-skip, B-skip, and high knees that are part of his sprint routine. The same sprint routine that helped him claim three golds in the 2023 World Championships: 100 m (9.83 s), 200 m (19.52 s), and 4×100 m relay (37.38 s).

But this is not the only non-track thing that he will love in the Japanese capital.

One more thing Noah Lyles will love in Tokyo, other than track

How could Noah Lyles go to Tokyo and not find himself with some Mangas?

Tokyo is a global hub for anime and manga, offering fans countless ways to immerse themselves, from themed cafés and shops to exhibitions and rare archives. Key spots include Anime Tokyo Station in Ikebukuro, Akihabara’s Electric Town, and Nakano’s subculture center, making the city a true anime mecca. And well, the 100m world champion is a big anime fan.

Earlier this August, when Crunchyroll announced its collaboration with  Delta Airlines, which would allow passengers to watch anime during flights on seatback screens, the Olympian whose flight got cancelled could not wait for it to start. He asked, “When this start. I’m on a long delta flight right now and need me some anime to get me through.” And just so you know: The original and Brotherhood versions of Fullmetal Alchemist are his favorite anime.

Other than that, he has been seen using Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, such as the iconic Blue-Eyes White Dragon, to psych himself up before races. After claiming Olympic gold, he celebrated with a Dragon Ball Z–inspired Kamehameha pose, honoring Goku and the series’ creator, Akira Toriyama. At the 2019 Doha meet, he even dyed his hair silver as a tribute to Goku, one of the most beloved anime characters. Literally, we cannot wait to see him with some Manga or Goku collectible in Tokyo!