"Back where it all began"- Noah Lyles honors late coach as he visits his high school after 'victory parade' post-Paris Olympics glory

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Sep 26, 2024 02:24 GMT

Noah Lyles visited his high school after receiving a hero's welcome in Alexandria and honored his late high school coach, Rashawn Jackson. The American athlete had a great time with students and gave a speech inspiring young minds at his alma mater. He placed a portrait of his late coach, to whom he dedicated his Paris Olympics gold medal.

Lyles won the gold medal in the men's 100m after defeating Jamaica's Kishane Thompson in a close photo finish and won the bronze medal in the men's 200m. After the 200m final, Lyles was visibly struggling on the track and the USATF later revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 but opted to compete.

He concluded his Paris Olympics campaign after the 200m skipping the men's 4x100m relay. A month after winning two gold medals at the quadrennial games in Paris, Lyles returned to his hometown of Alexandria and received a grand welcome from the citizens and showed his medals in a 'victory parade'.

He returned to his alma mater, T. C. Williams High School, and interacted with students and gave an inspirational speech. During his speech, he placed a portrait of his late high school coach, Rashawn Jackson, in front of the dais.

He had dedicated his maiden Olympic gold medal to his late coach.

"Hey Coach Rashawn, that one was for you RIP," he wrote.

Noah Lyles took to Instagram to share glimpses of his visit to his alma mater with a nostalgic caption.

"Back where it all began," he wrote.

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Noah Lyles on honoring his late high school coach

Noah Lyles at the Paris Olympic Games 2024: Day 9 - Source: Getty

Noah Lyles spoke about honoring his late high school coach, Rashawn Jackson, in an interview during ESPN's famous show 'Sportscenter'. He reflected on coming up as an athlete and realizing the dream of competing at the Olympics with his coach.

"To be honest, I'm kind of excited to honor my coach. I lost my high school coach this year right after the Olympic trials, and it was a big moment, you know, as we look at this picture behind me, I remember thinking about when he actually, you know, this was basically our dream that we came up with together," he said.

"I remember the day he said that I could be a 100-meter runner just as much as I could be a 200-meter runner. At the time, I didn’t believe him, but you know, as time went on, I proved him right every time I stepped onto the track," he added.

Furthermore, he expressed his happiness in ultimately fulfilling their dream at the Paris Olympics by winning the gold medal in the 100m.