Noah Lyles sets sights on Olympic gold in Paris after depression impacted Tokyo dream

American sprinter Noah Lyles has opened up on his battle with depression as he admitted he will be using previous disappointments as his motivation in Paris.

American athletics star Noah Lyles has opened up on his struggles at the Tokyo Olympics (Image: Getty)

American sprinter Noah Lyles has admitted that he is using his disappointment at falling short of the gold medal in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics as he heads to Paris this summer. The 27-year-old has opened up on his struggles at the last Games, which he felt contributed to his showing in Japan back in 2021.

The Floridan star has already secured his place in the history books, having set the men’s record for the 200m with a personal-best time of 19.31 previously. Staggeringly, that result makes him the fourth fastest athlete in the event in history too – putting him behind only Jamaican legends Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt in that regard.

Coming into the Olympic Games in Tokyo, it would be fair to say that Lyles had been riding the crest of a wave professionally, having already earned gold in the 200m and 4 × 100m at the World Championships in 2019. However, his bronze in the 200m in Japan represented something of an underwhelming performance from the pre-race favorite.

Now, the American hero has opened up on the struggles he was going through off the track by the time the Olympics came around three years ago. Having been in therapy since he was a child, his mental health battle as exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside the limbo of the postponement of the Games during that period.

In a revealing conversation with the Daily Mail, the Team USA superstar has now outlined the circumstances surrounding his state of mind at that time. He acknowledged: “I was depressed. I was coming off my antidepressant medication at the time because I was gaining weight in an unnatural way. There was a lot going on.
“It was a real fake-it-to-make-it year for me,” he continued, before admitting: “I watched back my race in Tokyo and I was like, ‘I really don’t know that guy. I don’t know who that is but it’s not Noah’. It is kind of scary at times. Just even seeing my mannerisms.
Lyles appears to be able to take a step back to assess his own demeanor at that time as he spoke about his gratitude that his mental health has improved in the interim period between then and now. He explained: “I am like, ‘Why did I do that? What was I thinking at that time?’. Every day I wake up now and thank God that I am not in that scenario.

Detailing how he has got himself back on track, he said: “I have two therapists. One is my sports therapist, the other is my personal therapist for life beyond the track. There is a fear in the back of my mind that it (depression) will come back. But every time I think that, I am like, ‘I am so much better, I am in such a great place’. I just chalk that up as the devil trying to whisper sweet nothings in my ear.”

Turning his focus to the upcoming Olympics in Paris, he admitted that he is determined to put things right this time around, adding: “That bronze still burns a hole in my chest. I will be carrying it around during Paris just to remind me this is not the colour we are coming back with.

“It has never been a secret that I was disappointed with how 2021 went and how much of a fire it lit in my belly. It was the catalyst for everything that has happened after. I truly believe that at some point in another alternative universe if I had won that gold medal, I would have become complacent in my ability, and I wouldn’t have seen as much growth as I have in the last two years.”