Noah Lyles shared his experience of fulfilling “good boyfriend duties” when he undertook a 2am mission to retrieve his girlfriend’s running spikes, just hours after securing the gold medal in the 100m at the Olympic Games.
Monday marked the second anniversary of Lyles’s relationship with Jamaican athlete Junelle Bromfield. For Bromfield, the day was highlighted by her qualification for the women’s 400m semi-final in Paris, but only after Lyles made an unexpected stop on his way home from his 100m victory at the Stade de France.
“The Airbnb where our massage therapist is staying is right next to the athletes’ village,” Lyles explained. “She left her spikes during our last therapy session and called me while I was heading to the village to ask if I could grab her spike bag. I told her, ‘No problem, I’ve got you.’
“So there I was at 2am, waddling along with a spike bag, my backpack, and some toiletries. I thought to myself: ‘Here I am, the Olympic champion of the 100m, waddling to my girlfriend’s room carrying all this stuff. What a good boyfriend I am!’”
Lyles spoke after advancing to another semi-final in the men’s 200m, qualifying by winning heat six in a time of 20.19 seconds, easing off towards the end. Later that evening, he received his medal for the 100m event.
“I feel pretty pumped,” Lyles said. “That was mainly about getting my legs moving. My coach and I knew we had to play it by ear. He told me, ‘Just finish in the top two.’ But in my heart, I wanted to be first. I planned to dominate the first 120m, secure the second part to 150m, and then assess my surroundings. That run helped clear out a lot of tension from my body; any tightness or discomfort.”
Lyles didn’t have much time to celebrate his 100m win but did reflect on a race where he found himself at one point in last place. “No celebrating,” he remarked. “I had to provide a urine sample, attend media obligations, get a massage, and watch a few race videos.
“I’ve reviewed the race multiple times. Initially, I thought: ‘Wow, I really was last.’ I checked the statistics before watching it, and they looked like my best races. It wasn’t that I struggled; everyone else just excelled. I had a 6.44 time through 60m, which is very close to my personal best.”
Lyles’s fellow American and world No. 2 Kenneth Bednarek clocked the fastest 200m qualifying time of 19.96 seconds, with another American, Erriyon Knighton, also breaking the 20-second barrier.
Zharnel Hughes withdrew from the 200m just hours before his first-round heat due to tightness in his hamstring. Hughes had placed sixth in his 100m semi-final on Sunday. “No decision has been made yet regarding his participation in the relay,” stated British Athletics following Hughes’s withdrawal.
Dina Asher-Smith redeemed herself somewhat from her disappointment in the 100m by qualifying for the women’s 200m final. The 28-year-old did not stop for media interactions afterward and appeared far from pleased at the end of her heat. The likely reason being that Gabrielle Thomas had comfortably won, relegating Asher-Smith to second place.
The newly crowned women’s 100m champion, Julien Alfred, dominated heat one with a time of 21.98. Team GB’s Daryll Neita will join Asher-Smith in the final, but the events at the Stade de France on Monday evening suggest that there are six competitors vying primarily for a bronze medal.
