"I didn't believe him but I proved him right" - Noah Lyles wants to honor late high school coach who predicted he could be a 100m runner 

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Sep 18, 2024 14:36 GMT

Noah Lyles recently made USA proud with his performances at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Defying all the expectations, the American sprinter won the gold in 100m, bringing home USA's first Olympic gold medal in the event since Justin Gatlin last won it at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

The Olympic champion recently opened up on how his late high school coach Rashawn Jackson believed in him, even when he himself wasn't sure about his potential in the 100m event.

Speaking to SportsCenter recently, Noah Lyles was asked as to what he was looking forward to the most when he returned to Virginia, to which the 27-year-old said:

"To be honest, I'm kind of excited to honor my coach [Rashawn Jackson]. I lost my high school coach this year right after the Olympic trials, and it was a big moment, you know I mean as we look at this [Noah Lyles' victory pose after the 100m win at the Paris Olympics] picture behind me, I remember thinking about when he actually you know, this was basically our dream that we came up with together," Lyles said (8:00 onwards).

Noah Lyles revealed that he initially didn't believe his coach Rashawn Jackson's words but was happy to have proved him right eventually.

"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, and at the time I didn't believe him, but you know as time went on, I proved him right every time I stepped on to the track," he added.

Despite testing positive for COVID 19 ahead of the 200m finals at Paris Olympics, Lyles managed to win his second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in the event, with Letsile Tebogo from Botswana winning the Olympic gold medal, and American sprinter Kenny Bednarek winning the silver medal.

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Noah Lyles at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Noah Lyles of the USA [Extreme Left] in action during the Men's 100m Final at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

When Noah Lyles claimed he was going for the Olympic gold in 100m at the Paris Olympics, not many were ready to believe him. It had been two decades since an American sprinter last won an Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m event at the Summer Olympics, and Noah Lyles was not among the top favorites for a 100m gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

However, the American sprinter seemed to have other ideas. He had recorded a world-leading time and a personal best of 9.83 seconds at the Budapest World Championships 2023, winning the gold medal in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay event.

At the Paris Olympics, Lyles managed to qualify for the semifinals, standing second overall in his heats with a timing of 10.04 seconds. In the semifinals, Lyles clocked 9.83 seconds, behind Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville of Jamaica, who finished with times of 9.80 and 9.81 seconds, respectively.

However, it seems Noah Lyles had saved the best for the last. Though he started slow, he pulled up quickly, and from the halfway mark, Lyles surged ahead, closely followed by Kishane Thompson. The race was so intense that it had to be decided via a photo finish.

Lyles had edged out Kishane Thompson by the smallest of margins, by 0.005 seconds, even though both recorded a timing of 9.79 seconds and won USA their first 100m Olympic gold since 2004.