Noah Lyles opens up on mental health struggles that left him struggling to TALK, George Floyd… and his Anthony Edwards row with Adidas
American sprinting sensation Noah Lyles has told how the COVID-19 pandemic left him struggling to speak as he battled isolation and fatigue.
The six-time world champion hopes to win Olympic gold in Paris this summer. He qualified for the Games with an exciting 9.83 sec 100m earlier this week. But just a few years ago, Lyles was stuck in a near “constant asthma attack.”
Lyles, 26, said TIME that he felt “so empty” even after winning the 200 meters at the 2019 world championships. And when the coronavirus started to lock down the world, he became isolated.
“I could barely talk,” Lyles said. ‘I was so tired. Always. Even thinking was a drain. It felt like you were having an asthma attack almost constantly.
“You know there’s more room in your lungs, but you physically can’t use the muscles to actually breathe.”
Sprinting sensation Noah Lyles has opened up about how the pandemic left him struggling to breathe
Lyles qualified for the Paris Olympics earlier this week with an electrifying 9.83 seconds in the 100 meters
His condition only worsened in May 2020, when George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis by a white police officer.
“I just remember constantly thinking, that could be me,” Lyles added.
Lyles battled severe asthma as a child, with the sprinter unable to have toys or teddy bears for fear they would collect dust and worsen his condition. He was left with a barking cough, causing some people to mistake him for a dog from afar.
“One day I was on a conference call for work,” his mother Keisha told TIME. “And the supervisor said, ‘Can someone walk their dog?'”
Lyles was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. He also fought against ‘relentless’ bullying at school, calling it:An emotional beating, that’s what really destroys you.’
American fans high-five after winning the 100m final at the US Olympic Trials
Lyles spoke about his frustration after Adidas invited him to a shoe release for Anthony Edwards
But the 26-year-old has nevertheless risen to the top of sprinting. The American took issue with the NBA last summer when he questioned why players call themselves ‘world champions’ after winning a title.
Basketball stars irritated him again last year when he negotiated a contract extension with Adidas. The company invited the six-time world champion to a shoe release for Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
‘What do you want to do?’ Lyles recalled. “You want to invite me to (an event for) a guy who hasn’t even been to an NBA finals yet? In a sport you don’t even care about? And you give him a shoe?
“No disrespect: the man is a great athlete. He’s having a great year. I love that they saw the insight to give him a shoe because they saw he was going to be big.
“All I’m asking is, ‘How could you not see that for me?’