Noah Lyles has defended his confidence amid criticism from Letsile Tebogo and Fred Kerley as he pursues greatness.
Triple world champion Noah Lyles has seemingly hit out at Letsile Tebogo and Fred Kerley for claiming that he is cocky and arrogant.
In a past press conference, Noah Lyles disclosed that people mistake his confidence for cockiness but he insisted that he is not out to please anyone as he chases his goals.
The reigning Olympic 100m champion explained that only those who understand his background know that it took a lot to get to the level where he has confidence about everything.
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Justin Gatlin has called on Olympics gold medalist Rai Benjamin and Grant Holloway to follow up on a promised 200m hurdles showdown.
“The line between confidence and cocky is so blurred and it’s all an opinion but usually if you’ve looked at my life and seen what I’ve had to go through, I’ve literally been told, ‘You can’t do’ most of my life but here I am every day always saying Imma do it anyway,” Noah Lyles said.
“I have achieved almost everything that I put my mind to and it’s gaining that confidence each step of the way that slowly builds it up higher and higher.
“I can understand why some people can’t see the vision that I have and I can’t blame anybody for that but don’t disapprove of my vision because I want to go after it and in these big moments, I thrive off of it, this is what I’ve prayed for.”
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Letsile Tebogo reflected on his career’s turning point, winning his first global gold in Nairobi.
After winning the 200m gold at the Paris Olympic Games, Letsile Tebogo seemingly aimed a dig at Noah Lyles, noting that he is: “For me, I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or loud person like Noah.”
Fred Kerley also noted that his compatriot is: “Cocky, arrogant, and all that.”
The three-time world 200m champion further revealed that crowds give him the power to perform well, claiming that he lost the 200m at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games since there were no fans.
At the Paris Olympic Games, he started off on an impressive note, winning the men’s 100m title but failed to take the same momentum to the 200m where he was forced to settle for bronze behind Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek.
Noah Lyles also missed the 4x100m relay team that was disqualified for faulty baton exchanges and later confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 before the 200m.
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The three-time world champion insists that Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce still have plenty more to offer the world.
“This is what I’ve dreamt of and I get more excited the bigger the crowd is and in fact, when there is no crowd, that’s more likely where you will see me lose,” he added.
In 2025, Noah Lyles has a huge task of defending his world titles at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Lyles won the 100m and 200m and later anchored the American 4x100m relay team to victory.
The American sprint king has resumed training with his coach Lance Brauman and together, they will be out to give sprinters across the globe a nightmare.
