Noah Lyles was one of the fastest men in the world this year.
While he failed to make the Olympic team in the 100m, he ran the fastest time in the world in the 200m at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials in June. His 19.74 made him the Olympic favorite in Tokyo.
“I don’t think anybody can prepare you for the lion you have to slay at the Olympic trials,” said Lyles after qualifying for the Games. “This is the hardest team to make and everybody here shows it.”
But when the 200m final in Tokyo was completed, Lyles finished in third and won bronze. Ironically, his time was 19.74 again.
He celebrated and paraded around the track with teammate and silver medalist Kenny Bednarek (19.68), American flags wrapped around them.
Despite kneeling and thanking God with his big smile, Lyles wasn’t feeling it inside.
Lyles, you see, suffers from depression.
He’s struggled with mental health for most of his life. And after a year spent in the pandemic lockdown and watching the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests, it became too much for the young sprinter.
He started taking antidepressants last summer and had to cycle off them as they affected his training.
Then right before the start of the Games, Lyles broke down during a conversation with his girlfriend.
“We were talking about a lot of things,” Lyles said on Wednesday to reporters about their conversation. “We were talking about me and my brother. It’s been really hard for me watching him train as hard as he has.”
Lyles was referring to his brother, Josephus. The two are extremely close and do almost everything together.
Their dream was to make the Olympics together, so they moved out to California after high school and trained together.
While they both were fast, injuries slowed Josephus while Noah flourished. At the Trials, they both made the semi-finals. But that’s where their dreams to make the team together ended as Josephus failed to advance to the finals.
Recalling that moment broke Noah down in front of reporters.
“This wasn’t even my dream,” Lyles sobbed. “I just wanted to tag along because I loved my brother, and I wanted to do this together. And it’s taken us so far, and I feel like he should be here.”
And track did take him far.
Track is a Savior
Track has always been an outlet of relief for Noah Lyles.
It was a release from the pain and frustration he felt in school and outside of it. He battled his demons during the day, but once he was on the track, that special feeling temporarily slew the troubles which haunted him.
“When I was able to do track, I felt that everything had been lifted and I would actually be able to live my life,” said Noah.
But reality shattered his peace.
In its place came social unrest in the form of police brutality and the murder of Black men by police. He and his brother joined the protests in Orlando and spoke about George Floyd’s murder. Yet his advocacy put unexpected pressure on the young athlete, a burden that led him to seek out medication and treatment.
But the antidepressants caused him to gain weight and impact his training, so he stopped using them. Then his massage therapist got ill and his recovery suffered from her absence.
It was a time that drained the fun out of his life and made him contemplate his future in the sport.
“I always said the day I wasn’t having fun with this sport, I’m going to leave it,” said Lyles. “And for a little bit, I wasn’t having fun this year. I did want to leave. I had to make a decision. I was like, I got to get better. I can’t let this control me.”
While Lyles struggles with the pressure of being a star and his personal disappointment in not winning Olympic gold, his future remains bright.
Two years ago he ran a 19.50 in the 200m. That gave him the fourth-fastest time ever behind Usain Bolt (19.19), Yohan Blake (19.26), and Michael Johnson (19.32). That’s elite company to be in, especially for a 24-year-old.
But Noah Lyles has reason to smile. When he returns home, he’ll have his brother to train with again.
So while this wasn’t his time on the track, it could be his time to deal with his mental health so that he can come back stronger in 2024.
“I didn’t win,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s a great achievement.”
That it is Noah.
