Noah Lyles, the men’s 100m champion at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, has opened up about his long-term battle with multiple chronic conditions.
Lyles disclosed that he has been contending with asthma, allergies, dyslexia, and ADD, among other issues, which have affected his performance over the years.
The American sprinting sensation also revealed that he has struggled with anxiety and depression, which had a significant impact on his productivity, but he has now managed to overcome these challenges.
Drawing from his experiences, Lyles encouraged others to remain optimistic regardless of their struggles, assuring them that brighter days are ahead.
“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. Why not you?” he wrote on X on August 5, 2024.
In a thrilling conclusion at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles clinched the men’s 100-meter title by a razor-thin margin of five-thousandths of a second, edging out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in a dramatic photo finish.
Lyles, known for his flair, surged ahead in the latter half of the race, finishing with a personal best of 9.79 seconds.
This matched the time of Olympic newcomer Thompson, who had maintained the lead for most of the race.
However, Lyles’ impressive final push secured his victory, marking the start of his ambitious pursuit of four gold medals at the Games.
Fred Kerley of the United States, a former world champion, earned the bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds, just ahead of South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who narrowly missed the podium.
In this remarkable race, all eight finalists crossed the finish line within 0.12 seconds of Lyles, following a tense wait at the start line in the Stade de France.