‘Fastest person on Earth’: Team USA sprinter Noah Lyles arrives in Paris with grand Olympic ambitions

(PARIS) — He’s become the face of Team USA’s Men’s track and field, and he’s close to becoming the fastest man on Earth — just don’t call him the “next Usain Bolt.”

He tells us he will only ever be the “first Noah Lyles.”

And, if you believe his confidence, it’s only a matter of time before he gets there.

“I realized that I had this talent. I just see that. Yeah, I’m going to be the fastest person on Earth,” Lyles said. “And, of course, I haven’t achieved that yet. But being the third fastest person to ever live is not bad either.”

The 27-year-old sprinter, who is from Alexandria, Virginia, is scheduled to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team USA. He’ll run the 100-meter, which begins Saturday, followed by the 200-meter, which kicks off Monday. He won a bronze in the 200-meter in the Tokyo 2020 games.

He followed his first Olympic medal by winning the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4×100-meter races at the 2023 world championships, a feat that “made him the first man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to complete the sprint treble,” according to Lyles’ official Team USA profile.

Known for his showmanship and his speed, Lyles is also a vocal advocate for mental health.

When we asked how he stays healthy living under all this pressure, he said, “I’ve got three therapists, that helps. But also, I’m very big on creating boundaries … I don’t take pictures or interact when I’m … eating or with my girlfriend or when I’m training.”

He said he was meant for the stage, and his goal — besides turning his recent American record in the 200-meter into a world record — is to hype up track and field all year round.

He likes to have entrance music — “We Will Rock You,” Queen’s rock anthem, was a recent favorite — and says “it’s not about the win, it’s about how you win.”

“You know, people grab on to that, they want a story,” he added. “They want somebody to connect to, let’s give them those personalities, we have tons of it in our sport. And I just feel that we need just a better way to just show that to the rest of the world.”

Another way Lyles shows his team spirit? His nails.

Right now he’s sporting blue polish with the word “ICON” written across his nails. (He tells us he also has an “ICON” tattoo.)

But he said he’s going to get a more patriotic set here in Paris before he races. His nails have become so famous, he tells us Snoop Dog asked him if he could get his nails done by the same manicurist while they’re both in Paris.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.