At the 2024 World Indoor Championships, Lyles and Team USA were edged out by the Belgians in the men’s 4x400m relay race. In that unprecedented feat, 26-year-old Alexander Doom was one of the main driving forces behind the Belgian squad. On the other hand, Noah had to settle for a silver at the tournament. With that, Noah’s suitability for the 4x400m relay faced a mighty jolt. Moreover, being absent from the 4x400m team at the recently held Bahamas Relays didn’t help to back up his Olympic claims either. Days after that blow to Noah’s dreams, Doom has revealed his inspiration behind that feat.

In a recent interview with Olympics.com, Doom revealed how Julien Watrin, the Belgian national icon, helped him to find the necessary motivation to go out on the track and win gold before the night of his individual race. “He asked us to run as fast as possible so that’s the thing we tried to do for him – the only thing we can do for him“, said Doom in the interview, noting that Watrin’s fight against testicular cancer has been a tough ordeal for everyone. On the other hand, Noah also has his own motivation for his claim.

For Noah Lyles, it’s not just a finish on the top of the podium that he’s after. The six-time World Championships gold medalist has claimed to be flying to Paris with hopes of usurping Usain Bolt’s elite status. Not only that, Lyles is also fixated on bringing home gold from the banks of the Seine in all four events (100m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x400m), a feat that the Jamaican legend also doesn’t have in his resume.

While the Belgian now becomes another factor that Noah has to take into account, there are also others who can stomp over Lyles’ Paris aspirations. In all the events that Noah is slated to participate, he’ll have to face some tough opponents who would do everything in their power to stop him from clinching gold at the French metropolitan.

Noah Lyles isn’t likely to get a hall pass in Paris

While Lyles leads the charts in both the men’s 100m and 200m events, according to the World Athletics website, his opponents aren’t far off either. Fellow American Christian Coleman picked up a major win over Lyles at the 2024 World Indoor Championships, finally avenging his loss at the USATF Indoors.

With only 4 points between them, Coleman is likely to be the biggest hurdle on Noah’s way to the 100m gold. On the other hand, in the 200m category, Zharnel Hughes of Britain and the USA’s Kenny Bednarek along with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo are expected to bring out their best performances in Paris, which Noah also has to deal with if he is determined to usurp Bolt’s coveted spot.

British runner Matthew Hudson-Smith is a strong contender for the 400m event, and he bolstered his claim for the prize after winning the top spot in the race at last month’s Hurricane Invitational (where Fred Kerley won the men’s 100m race). Despite a disappointing performance at the Bahamas Relays, the Jamaican team is a squad to look out for in both relay events (4x100m, 4x400m). They Have remained a threat to Team USA for a long time and can rise to the occasion. It remains to be seen if Lyles can overcome the challenges and live up to the lofty claims that he has been making for months.