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When most people think of my sportswriting, they assume it’ll be about long distance running. If not that, then CERTAINLY something about women’s sports, right? Well, today I’m doing almost the polar opposite. Because I want to… nay, I must write about Noah Lyles, whose gold medal performance in the men’s 100m final last night was nothing short of inspired.
In a crowded field of the most talented sprinters in the world. On a fast track. On a night when the top seven men finished within .09 seconds—that’s nine-HUNDREDTHS of a second—of each other. Somehow, Lyles lived up to his own hype and threw down a blistering 9.784, besting Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by .005 to win America’s first gold in the men’s 100m in 20 years.
Noah’s incredible performance taught me three key things.
1. Do what makes you feel confident.
Compared to many other competitors who quietly lock in at the start line, staring down the track in deep focus, Lyles is playful, loud, and highly visible. He smiles, screams into the camera, and shows the audience his nails painted in red, white, and blue. He’s the center of attention because that makes him feel like the star that he is. He’s built for this.
Whether your pump-up ritual has you focus your energy internally versus externally is your business—I don’t think one way is better than the other. You just have to do what works for you. What Lyles does stands out because it’s flashy. But when he whispers to himself, “This is your moment,” you better keep your eyes trained on that man. Because he’s a performer, and this track is his stage.
2. Talk shit, back it up.
Lyles has not been bashful about hyping himself up. He has called his own number countless times, all but guaranteeing that he would win the gold medal in this year’s Olympics. It’s a pretty audacious and risky claim, given how tight the competition is and has been.
Being his own hype man is also a brilliant media strategy because even for an athlete as consistently successful on the world stage like Lyles, media coverage for track and field athletes is embarrassingly thin. So, the only way to actually drum up a following, attention, or some g-d respect is for him to make some noise.
What I especially love about Lyles talking shit is that he doesn’t punch down. He doesn’t even really take shots at his competitors. He focuses on hyping himself up—putting the pressure on himself to deliver the win. It’s bigtime “me against the world” vibes. Which it actually, truly is.
In this clip from September 2023, Lyles made waves for taking aim at the NBA, suggesting that the winners of the NBA Finals have no right to call themselves “World Champions.” He’s punching up, taking on a sport of much higher status and much bigger, fatter paychecks. But as a six-time world champion, Lyles is not about to kowtow. He wants y’all to know that his title officially extends across continents. And for the next four years, he gets to own that Olympic Champion crown. Talk yo shit, Noah!
3. Run your race.
In the men’s 100m final, Lyles was still in 7th place after 50m. Half the race was over, and he was four places out of medal contention. Yikes! Terrifying!
But rather than freaking out, panicking, or losing focus, he just ran his race. He built speed over time because, well, the race is 100m. So, who cares what position he was in at 50m. It’s irrelevant.
https://x.com/JoePompliano/status/1820198120606531969
It is so easy to get caught up in what other people are doing. How other people are performing. Where you stack up compared to them. But that kind of comparison is so incredibly unhelpful, pointless, and damaging. Run your race. Don’t let anybody else dictate your pace, your tactics, and where your finish line is. You just have to trust yourself and run your race.
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