"I'm struggling with my mental" - Noah Lyles on 'challenges' he is facing due to Olympic Village popularity

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Jul 29, 2024 16:35 GMT

Six-time World Championships gold medalist, Noah Lyles, recently elaborated on the loss of privacy and personal space he is facing in the Olympic village. Owing to this, the Florida native is facing a lot of mental pressure before his main competition (Men's 100m) scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 3.

Lyles, one of the most dominant personalities in the track circuit, is enjoying a lot of fame among his fellow Olympic participants in the Olympic Village. However, this has also caused a lot of inconvenience as his daily schedule is being compromised, according to him.

In a conversation with AP News, Lyles talked about the tricky situation he is facing in his time so far at the Olympic Village. He said:

"I’m struggling with my mental. I’ve become kind of popular in the village. Unfortunately, that comes with its own set of challenges.”

He added:

"It has come with its own challenge of finding my own safe place. I don’t want to leave. But I feel like after these Olympics, I’m going to have to have conversations higher up than me in making that more available. ... I’m not even the most popular person in the village. I know I’m not the only one who’s had to deal with situations like this.”

Reports from AP News also suggest that Noah Lyles is not able to follow his routine workouts inside the village as he is frequently stopped by participants from other disciplines such as judo and fencing.

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Noah Lyles opens up about facing mental health issues

Lyles at the Team USA Welcome Experience, Paris 2024 (Image via: Getty Images)

Mental stress and mental health issues aren't new for professional athletes. Even highly successful legendary competitors such as Michael Phelps have suffered from this and the six-time world champion, Noah Lyles, isn't any different.

Lyles had suffered from depression and mental stress for a very long time and owing to this, he also started taking antidepressant medication in 2020. He announced this news at the time via his official X handle:

During an interview with The New York Times, Lyles elaborated on the importance of communicating with the people around to deal with depression. He stated:

"I knew there was a lot of people out there like me who’s scared to say something or to even start that journey. I want you to know that it’s OK to not feel good, and you can go out and talk to somebody professionally, or even get on medication."

During the interview, Lyles also stated that his rough schooling days have contributed a lot to putting stress in his psyche.