Noah Lyles Sheds Light on Overcoming Challenges on Road to Olympic Gold

The sprinter’s words of encouragement received praise from fans who face similar mental and physical challenges.

Gold medalist Noah Lyles of Team USA celebrates on the podium during the victory ceremony for the men's 100 meters during the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5, 2024. Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images

Team USA’s Noah Lyles shared an inspiring message of perseverance after winning the gold medal in the men’s 100 meters at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4, saying he had to overcome a series of mental and physical challenges on his road to success.

“I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become,” Lyles wrote in an Aug. 5 post on social-media platform X.

“Why Not You!” the 27-year-old newly crowned Olympic champion added.

The sprinter’s words of encouragement drew praise from fans who have dealt with similar health issues, including an X user who called Lyles “an inspiration.”

“Thank you for sharing! I’m a disabled veteran with [post-traumatic stress disorder], anxiety, depression, breathing difficulties, sleep issues, and allergies,” A.J. Ali wrote.

“Anything is possible if you set your mind to it! Love to see someone with so many potential excuses not let it hold them back!” another fan commented.

On Aug. 4, Lyles became the “World’s Fastest Man” after winning a historically close 100, defeating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by .005 seconds and receiving his first Olympic gold medal in a lifetime-best of 9.784 seconds.

The final tally showed that Thompson came in second at 9.789 and Team USA’s Fred Kerley was third at 9.81.

Lyles’s victory was the first U.S. gold in the Olympic event since Justin Gatlin won in 9.85 seconds two decades ago at the Athens Games.

(Front to back) Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, USA's Noah Lyles, Jamaica's Oblique Seville, South Africa's Akani Simbine, Jamaica's Kishane Thompson, USA's Fred Kerley, and USA's Kenneth Bednarek compete in the men's 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4, 2024. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images

Early Life Struggles

Lyles first shed light on the obstacles he had to overcome as a child during an interview in 2019, saying asthma had been part of his life ever since he could remember.

“I had to have my tonsils removed at 6 years old, and there wasn’t really a day in my early childhood where I don’t remember going to the hospital, being on a breathing machine, or being in the middle of the night and having to go to hospital because my chest was so restricted,” Lyles told Reuters on Oct. 2, 2019.

“Being hooked up to a breathing machine ... my mama staying with me the whole night. It wasn’t the finest of times,” he said, adding that it was “positivity” and his mother that got him through those challenging times.

“You have to beat it, you have to keep a positive mind, and having my mom there helped [me] believe it would get better,” he said.

Lyles said his asthma has since become “more controlled” but noted that he still has to deal with it.

The young American told the Olympic Channel after the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games that he fell into depression because of commercial obligations and a busy travel schedule, which caused him to not spend much time with loved ones.

“Even before world championships, I was just in Europe for so long, and I was getting really homesick,” Lyles said. “I thought about going home so many times because I was getting really depressed and getting into that mindset that I don’t want to even train any more.”

From NTD News