'Confidence Was Not My Thing'-Noah Lyles Opens Up About Childhood Struggles With Asthma and Dyslexia

Noah Lyles continues to stand tall as the face of men’s sprinting after concluding yet another remarkable campaign on the global stage. 

The American sprinter wrapped up his World Championships in Tokyo with two gold medals and a silver, once again stamping his dominance in the 200m event where he has remained unbeaten.

Ahead of the championships, Lyles had confidently declared that he would extend his streak in the 200m and even attempt to chase down Usain Bolt’s legendary world record, set in 2009. 

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Addressing this perception in an appearance on Speakeasy with Emmanuel Acho, Lyles explained how many people misinterpret his mindset and the energy he brings to competition.

“It’s probably uh me being co**y because in reality it’s me just having confidence. It’s just y’all don’t understand the things that I’ve had to go through to be at this point to know why I’m so confident. And at the end of the day, the reason that they get mad is cuz I keep doing the things that I say that I’m going to do,” Lyles said.

The star sprinter admitted that the short glimpses fans see of him on the track don’t capture the full picture of who he is as a person. While his fiery competitiveness often takes the spotlight, Lyles believes those who meet him in real life quickly realize a different side of him.

“But when they actually end up meeting me, they they’re like, ‘Oh, wow. This man is actually super down-to-earth.’ He’s, you know, tries to help everybody. He does all these things, but you only get to see me for 19 seconds. You only get to see the competitive Noah. You know, the 9 seconds, the short little interviews,” he added.

Lyles’ unshakable confidence today was not always part of his personality. The American athlete revealed that his early years were shaped by struggles with health and learning difficulties, which often left him feeling vulnerable rather than self-assured.

“Most of my childhood, confidence was not my thing. It’s just you know never followed me, I was either trying to just breathe with asthma, you know, or going from home school to regular school and realizing I got ADD and dyslexia, making school harder,” Lyles shared.

It was only after finishing high school and finding his footing within athletics that Lyles began to embrace self-belief. Competing at the highest levels, he learned to harness his personal challenges and transform them into strengths on the track.

The Olympic gold medalist emphasized that his confidence is rooted not just in talent, but in the perseverance it took to overcome the barriers in his early life. According to Lyles, this inner strength is what fuels his remarkable consistency on the global circuit.

By backing up his words with results Lyles has cemented himself as one of the most compelling personalities in athletics toda