'Nobody Is Dying' - Noah Lyles Explains Why He Does Not Take Defeat Personally

Noah Lyles believes that true champions are not defined by medals alone, but by how they embrace setbacks and keep the joy alive in sport.

Noah Lyles has opened up about not bowing to pressure from fans and why his losses, even at the recent World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, do not bother him.

Noah Lyles went into the race with the hope of defending his 100, 200m and 4x100m relay titles, but missed the shot in the 100m, where he finished third.

Oblique Seville stormed to a personal best time of 9.77 seconds to win the race as Kishane Thompson, the Olympic 100m silver medallist, came in second.

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However, Noah Lyles claimed op honours in the men’s 200m, becoming just the second man after Usain Bolt to win the 200m at a World Championship four times in a row.

He won his first title at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, before defending his title on home soil in 2022 in Eugene. Noah Lyles then claimed top honours in the 200m in Budapest before his exploits in Tokyo.

The reigning Olympic 100m champion also impressed in the men’s 4x100m relay, anchoring the US to another gold medal.

Noah Lyles Gets Candid on How He Deals with Losses

Noah Lyles pointed out that being a huge mental health advocate, he is always keen on ensuring everything is checked before lining up for a race.

Having competed for more than five years now, the two-time Olympic 200m bronze medallist believes he has mastered how to deal with whatever comes his way.

Noah Lyles pointed out that when it is time to be smart and play mind games, he always shows up, and when it is time to be vulnerable.

“And that is key to being a great athlete. When it's time to get down and dirty, you've got to know what you got to what it takes. But not only that, knowing how to be smart with it, choosing the right team and then studying not only yourself, but your opponents, you know,” Noah Lyles said in an exclusive interview with Guardian Sport.

“You have to know that you can't just work on your greatest strengths. You know, that's only going to take you so far. Sometimes you've got to really harp on your greatest weaknesses and be vulnerable enough to say, ‘This is my weakness.’”

Noah Lyles: You Need to Learn How to Take Losses

Noah Lyles added that throughout the years, he has given fans very little attention when it comes to making decisions about his career.

He pointed out that most fans are always quick to judge an athlete, and they believe that once you start winning, you should not turn back.

However, for him, there is more to that. He insisted that he is out here to enjoy the sport and not necessarily focus on winning or losing.

“You need to learn how to take losses, learn how to adjust, learn how to pivot, engage, and reinvent yourself. These are all crucial things. And then at the end of the day, just saying no matter what, even if you don't think it, you're going to believe you're going to win,” Noah Lyles added.

“To be honest, you just got to be yourself. And I feel like sometimes the way that the sport interacts with its fans or the ways the fans interact with the sport, it's so close that they believe they know everything, but in reality, of course, you can't know everything. Nobody's dying at the end of the day. Let’s enjoy these moments as much as possible.”

For Noah Lyles, victories and defeats are simply part of the same journey. While fans may measure greatness only in medals, the American sprinter has shown that resilience and joy for the sport are just as important.

Whether standing on the podium or reflecting after a loss, Noah Lyles continues to prove that true champions are defined not only by their wins, but by how they handle the moments in between