"Don't think I will be staying in Olympic Village" - Noah Lyles opens up on 'rough' Paris Games as he priorities his dream

American track athlete Noah Lyles recently reflected on his campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics and shared his aspirations for the next quadrennial Games. During the event, Lyles clinched his first-ever Olympic gold medal in the 100m event, but also faced numerous adversities during his 200m race, where he had to compete with COVID.

This comes just before his 100m season opener at the London Diamond League, scheduled for Saturday, July 19. He will compete against the likes of Letsile Tebogo, Akani Simbine, Oblique Seville, and Ackeem Blake.

Speaking in a press conference before the event, Lyles said that the Paris Games was rough for him, especially during his time at the Olympic village. The 100m Olympic champion further shared that he may not be staying at the Village for the next Olympics in Los Angeles. He said (via Wanda Diamond League):

"Any Championship is a mixed bag, there is goods and bads. I mean it was quite actually a rough Olympics, even before the 100m there was so much going on. It was very difficult to find peace of mind, especially in the Village. I don't think I will be staying in the Village in the next Olympics, just because I have a job and dream that I want to accomplish, so, I want to get in the best state of mind for that."

Noah Lyles also remarked that the performance he delivered during the 200m race, despite suffering from COVID, is something very few athletes could have achieved.

Noah Lyles made his feelings known after winning the first Diamond League of the season in Monaco

Noah Lyles (Image via: Getty)

Noah Lyles shared his emotions after winning the 200m race at the Monaco Diamond League last week. He clocked 19.88 seconds to win the race against the likes of Letsile Tebogo and Makanakaishe Charamba, who eventually finished second and third, respectively.

In an interview after his race, Lyles boldly shared that this moment was made for him, and this is the time he expects to deliver every time. He said (via Citius Mag, 1:08 onwards):

"I just believe that every moment was made for me. I was made for such a time as this, and going out there and believing that and knowing that I have trained my hardest for it. It's all I need to be thinking about."

Notably, this race was also Noah Lyles' first 200m race of the season after his 60m indoor races and 400m at the Tom Jones Memorial earlier in the season.

Edited by Samya Majumdar