"Everybody already knows I'm going to win"- Noah Lyles weighs in on the excitement for qualifying in the 200m at Paris Olympics

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 30, 2024 04:20 GMT

Noah Lyles is super excited for his stint at the Paris Olympics 2024. The American sprinter won a bronze medal in the 200m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But this time, he is more than prepared to not just prove himself, but also possibly end the two-decade gold medal drought for the USA in the men's 100m at the Paris Olympics.

Lyles would be participating in the men's 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay event in Paris. When asked about how he felt, the sprinter said:

"And now, just like Tara [Davis-Woodhall], when I made that team, I felt so excited. I was feeling all the feelings when I made it for the 200[m], which you know, over the years, it's kind of grown as like an event where everybody knows I'm already going to win." [via TeamUSA's Instagram account]

After winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Noah Lyles rose through the ranks to become one of the fastest sprinters in 200m. Lyles is also the defending world champion, having won a gold medal in 200m at the 2023 IAAF World Championships, held in Budapest.

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Noah Lyles on qualifying for the 4x100m relay for the first time at Paris Olympics

Noah Lyles after winning the 100m at London Athletics Meet [Diamond League 2024] [Image Source: Getty]

The one event that Noah Lyles is the most excited about is the 4x100 m relay, in which he would be representing the USA for the first time. He recalled his disappointment on not making it to the Tokyo Olympics for the relay event.

Lyles said:

"You know I'm going in for the 4x100m relay, you know,.... they didn't even want to put me on the 4x100m relay team in the last Olympics. You know, now I'm like, You GOT TO PUT HIM ON! And I remember, when they gave these hats [referring to his cap], the 'You Made It' hat, and it's now my favorite hat. I've not taken it off since really making the team." [via Team USA's Instagram Account]

Lyles began as a junior world champion, winning a gold medal in 200m at the Nanjing Youth Olympics 2014. He also won two gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the 2016 World Under-20 Championships, held at Bydgoszcz in Poland. Lyles has a personal best of 19.31 in the men's 200m, just behind Usain Bolt's long-standing Olympic record of 19.30 seconds.

Lyles recently timed a personal best of 9.81 seconds in 100m at the London Athletics Meet leg of the Wanda Diamond League, making him a serious contender for the Olympic gold medal. However, he revealed a couple of days ago that his focus is on winning championships, not just creating records.