Noah Lyles has always been box office, whether it’s his blistering speed on the track or his bold, unfiltered takes off it.
But as the 2025 season rolls on, while his rivals have been smashing records and chasing headlines, the reigning World 100m and 200m champion has taken a different route.
The Achilles’ Heel He’s Ready to Tackle
In a recent sit-down with NFL icon Cam Newton, Naoh Lyles spoke candidly about what he considers the weakest part of his race, the start.
“Blocks are my weakness,” he admitted.
“I study that thing more than the back of my hand.”
While others chase moments of glory, he’s obsessing over biomechanics, neuromuscular reactions, and start mechanics. He breaks down race footage, studies rivals, and zeroes in on the first 30 meters, the decisive seconds where races can be won or lost.
“They are extremely strong,” Noah Lyles said, describing the world’s best starters.
“They can activate their nervous system to fire exactly how they want at the exact time they say go.”
Speed Monster in Top Gear
Yet, even as he acknowledges the gap, Noah Lyles knows his ace lies elsewhere, his outrageous top-end speed. He compares elite starts to a NOS boost in Fast and the Furious: explosive, thrilling, but short-lived. His strength comes later.
“I’m a top speed guy. For days,” Lyles quipped.
It’s a fact backed by history. In his own estimation, only sprint legends Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, and Yohan Blake have ever touched his top velocity.
But in the razor-thin margins of 100m sprinting, even the fastest top-end speed needs a better launchpad. And Noah Lyles is determined to build his.
A Crucial Test Ahead
On July 19, Noah Lyles will make his much-anticipated 100m season debut at the London Diamond League, a venue with good memories for him. Last year, he stormed to a then-personal best 9.81 on the same track before striking gold in Paris.
“My road to defending my world titles in Tokyo in September goes through London,” Lyles declared.
After a cautious start to 2025, opening with a 400m and withdrawing from the Atlanta City Games with a tight ankle, London marks Lyles’ first true sprint test of the season.
There’s no world lead on his name yet, no headline-grabbing 100m performance since last year’s Paris triumph. But that’s about to change.
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