"Thank you"- With his first Olympic gold medal under his belt, Noah Lyles reflects on concluding one of most successful seasons of his career so far
Noah Lyles concluded one of the most successful seasons of his career in 2024 which included his first Olympic gold medal and first medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. As the 2024 track and field season came to an end, the American reflected on the top performances of the Olympic year.
Lyles began the 2024 season early in the Indoor season and defeated Christian Coleman to emerge victorious in the USATF Indoor Championships in the 60m. He went on to win his first World Athletics Indoor medal in Glasgow after finishing second in the 60m with a performance of 6.44s.
Primarily running the short-distance sprints, Noah Lyles shocked his fans when he competed in the men's 4x400m finals and won his second silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
The 27-year-old then transitioned into the outdoor season with the Paris Olympics in foresight. He participated in three Grand Prix events which included Bermuda GP, Racers GP and NYC GP. Amid his Grand Prix appearances, he won his third major medal of the year which was a gold medal at the World Athletics Relays held in Bermuda in the men's 4x100m relay.
After qualifying for the Paris Olympics with staggering performances at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, Noah Lyles emerged as one of the top contenders for the gold medal in the sprint events at the quadrennial games. He won his first Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m after a photo finish with Jamaica's Kishane Thomspon with a performance of 9.784.
Lyles then marched on to the men's 200m finals and finished third with a performance of 19.70s. After the performance, it was revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He opted out of the men's 4x100m relay and concluded his campaign in the French capital.
After the conclusion of the 2024 season, Lyles took to X to reflect on his performances and wrote:
" Thank you 2024 Season. Oly 100 champion, Oly 200m bronze medalist, 2x World indoor silver medalist, 2x National champion, American recorded 150m"
Noah Lyles on his decision to opt out of the 4x100m relay and conlude his Olympic campaign
After finishing third in the 200m, Noah Lyles made the tough decision to withdraw from the men's 4x100m relay. He took to Instagram to congratulate the winners and shared the message of his withdrawal with his fans.
"First I want to thank God for getting me through this entire Olympics! Second I want to congratulate @tebogo_letsile_ , @kenny_bednarek and everyone else on an amazing Olympic 200m final, he said.
"Finally I want to thank everyone for the supportive messages. I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics. It is not the Olympic I dreamed of but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart," he added.
Moreover, he expressed his joy in putting forward a great show in his second consecutive appearance at the quadrennial Games.