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"I was more shocked of toxicity from the U.S. on their own people" - Noah Lyles took break from social media platform 'X' due to heavy criticism
American sprint sensation Noah Lyles has spoken out about the increasing toxicity on social media platforms. Lyles, a six-time world champion, has a massive fan following on Instagram with 760K followers, while his X (formerly Twitter) handle boasts over 90K followers.
Lyles is considered a strong medal contender for the United States in both the 100m and 200m sprint events. Additionally, he will be a part of the men’s 4x100m relay team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in which the USA are also expected to compete for a medal. Owing to his exploits in sprinting events, Lyles has garnered worldwide attention.
Recently, Lyles joined the Track World News (podcast) with Colin Waitzman where he talked about taking a break from X and facing criticism from Jamaican fans, stating [28:10 onwards]:
“I had to come off Twitter for a while just because of that. It was just too much. Even not just Jamaica because I expect it from Jamaicans. I mean they're a little conflicted right now because I am dating Junelle [Bromfield].”
He added:
“To be honest, at the end of the day, it's just a rivalry and I expect the rivalry to be hot. Just like the U.S. is gonna cheer for me, I expect the Jamaicans to cheer for their people. You know it's a rivalry and then everybody wants to take shots at the king. You're always gonna have a target on your back”
However, Lyles added that he was more shocked by the toxicity from those in the United States. The 26-year-old stated:
“But I think I was more shocked of the toxicity from the U.S. on their own people. I was literally on Twitter one day and I see Rai [Benjamin] talk about Sprint. He was like yeah it conveyed what it needed to convey. Somebody literally posted - 'man shut up you weak'. I'm like bro what the heck? It was not a Jamaican account. This is definitely an American account."
He also mentioned people's comments on Athing Mu, adding:
“Literally a little bit under that and it was just like, 'the mindset of Athing Mu so weak,' and all this. I'm like, 'do y'all want them to succeed or not want them to succeed like what's going on?' So, it's very weird.”
Noah Lyles takes his time off from his X handle
After witnessing a lot of criticism on social media, not just about himself but also his fellow athletes, Noah Lyles decided to take some off from X. He posted the same on his account stating:
“Ight twitter ya’ll too negative for me right now. I’ll catch y’all after the Olympics”
For the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles qualified for both the 100m and 200m by finishing in the top two in both events at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. He also secured his place in the 4x100m relay team. This will be the American’s second consecutive Olympics appearance after winning the bronze medal in the 200m in Tokyo.
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