Amidst the roaring cheers at Stade de France, Noah Lyles leaped onto the purple tracks on August 8. Hoping to redeem himself from his third-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the sprinter only had eyes for the gold. Fresh off his 100m victory, his confidence was off the charts. But when the time came to deliver, a slow start led him to a similar fate. Letsile Tebogo clinched the gold in an African record of 19.46 seconds. However, after crossing the line in 19.70 seconds, the 27-year-old felt uneasy and collapsed on the sidelines.

Eventually, he was wheeled out of the stadium. His stint at the Olympics was cut short due to him contracting COVID-19, leaving fans reeling for another glimpse of him on the track. Even though that hasn’t happened yet, the Olympian has made an unlikely appearance. Willy Chavarria’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection debuted on the first day of New York Fashion Week. But his collection had one little surprise: models walked out wearing pieces from the Willy Chavarria x Adidas Originals collection.

One model looked familiar—it was Noah Lyles! The sprinter closed the subsection in style. However, he shared a few images from the show on X, giving his fans a closer look at his fit. Decked up in Adidas calf-length socks, white shorts, and sneakers, his head and armband sport “AMÉRICA” on them. He captioned the post, “LYLES X WILLY CHAVARRIA X @adidas.” This isn’t the 27-year-old’s first rodeo. He is known for his fashion-forward approach.

While the Olympian has been to more fashion shows as a spectator, this surprised him. He announced the news on his Instagram story with his girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield. “About to head to our fitting for our first show. And I got the news popped on me that I will be walking and not watching.” The sprinter even joked about this time: his partner will have to be the spectator while he makes strides on the ramp. He’s done it before when he walked for Hugo Boss at the Milan Fashion Week in September last year.

Even though it looks like he’s doing better than ever since his time in the French capital, Noah Lyles hasn’t been able to escape the criticism from certain fans. While he was busy turning heads with his effortless ramp walk, Letsile Tebogo has dominated the track at several Diamond League meets. The fans were overjoyed for the 27-year-old but had a bone to pick with him, and they surely didn’t go easy on him.

Noah Lyles’ NYFW announcement was overshadowed by a gloomy reminder

It wasn’t too long until track and field fans called the Olympian out. One fan exclaimed, “I hope you got over your Covid and ready to compete again @tebogo_letsile_ is taking titles out there.” Tebogo has won the Lausanne, Silesia, Rome, and Zurich Diamond League meets. He will now head over to the finals in Brussels. Another fan ominously added, “Do you want us to call him?” with a picture of the Botswanan. It seems like many are looking forward to watching them face off again on the track. 

A fan pointed out, “While Noah is out here doing cosplays, Tebogo is wiping him clean week in and week out. Come back and hit the track man, fashion can wait!!” Noah Lyles has always been interested in fashion, and it doesn’t look like he would want to step away from that just yet. However, a few fans hyped him up instead. One fan stated, “OMG I NEED THAT ARMBAND🔥🔥🥵🥵” Comfort + fashion is always a big win.

Another fan said, “He’s actually giving.” Leave it to Noah Lyles to make a statement wherever he goes. His fashionable looks from over the years have always caught people’s eyes, and this time isn’t any different. We’re unsure when the sprinter will make a triumphant return to the track. But whenever he does, the fans can’t wait to watch him walk the talk and redeem himself from his Paris Olympics experience.