They say love asks for sacrifices, but this much? Imagine growing up in poverty, seeing a dream of racing at the greatest stage of all at just 8 years of age, making the dream come true, and then being subjected to bullying, racism, and even death threats. That’s what sums up Jamaican Olympic athlete Junelle Bromfield. Things have gotten so bad for her after she supported her fiancé, Noah Lyles, in the 2024 Olympics ahead of her countryman, Kishane Thompson, that she was afraid to visit her country. She is yet to be seen on the track after Paris, and there is speculation that she might be retiring. But all this while, she had someone to lean on.

The Jamaican said, “So one of the nicest things you’ve done for me is listen to all that I said I was lacked when I was growing up and tried to give it to me,” as the couple talked of supporting each other in the  YouTube video shared by The Knot on April 28, 2025.  The woman grew up in a poor community in George’s Valley, where the biggest someone could dream of was being a teacher. Yet Bromfield had the speed in her legs and fire in her eyes to dream of being a track and field athlete, competing at the highest level. But that wasn’t easy either, but with Lyles by her side, things were better.

She recalls, “So I was in Jamaica, I wasn’t making any national teams or anything, so it was nice to have somebody who’s at the top of their game telling you that you can also do it too, whatever you’re going through.” There was a time when the Jamaican athlete struggled to make it to the national team. It wasn’t easy the first time around before the Tokyo Olympics, where she had to pray to run under the qualifying time. And when the 2024 Olympics came, she was already considering retiring from the sport.

Noah Lyles at that time was a sensation. He already had a bronze from Tokyo and had secured multiple world titles, including sweeping the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the 2023 World Championships. Whereas Junelle Bromfield wasn’t having a good year in 2023. She missed to register any podium finish in the six events she participated that season. Moreover, before Jamaican Olympics Trials she was struggling to get on the podium. So when the words of affirmation came from him, it might have changed the heart of the Jamaican and made sure she was in the 2024 Olympics.

Hearing all that, Lyles recalled how she wanted to quit track and field. Agreeing with him, the St. Elizabeth native further said, “Yeah, like, it was getting hard mentally and told me that nothing to lose if I just go and run one more race.” Before the Tokyo Olympics, the Jamaican had gone through the loss of her mother but she managed to secure bronze in 4x400m. She made it to the Paris Olympics, where she finished 24th in 400m and 5th in 4x400m. Questions once again arose over that if she is retiring after Paris, but only Junelle knows the truth. But it is not only Noah who has been supporting her, but Bromfield has also supported him in his vulnerabilities.

How does Junelle Bromfield support Noah Lyles?

“One of the nicest things you’ve ever done for me was take care of me when I was sick,” said Noah Lyles as the couple talked about in the very same interaction. He further added that he was in bed, unable to get up, and everybody around him was fighting, but it was Junelle who brought order. During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Lyles contracted COVID-19, and Bromfield played a crucial role in his recovery, providing care and support that enabled him to continue competing at an elite level.

Perhaps that is why Noah says about her, “I knew I loved you when I kept coming back, and this isn’t some fling, this isn’t some, you know, idea, crush, you know, it never went away.” Noah and Junelle first got in touch in 2017, and they finally meet in 2022, and they got engaged in October 2024 after dating for almost two years. Ask him about her, and he will tell you, “I finally figured out what peace was. The ability to be vulnerable.“