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Noah Lyles reflects on his 100m gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and honors his late high school coach's belief.
Triple world champion Noah Lyles etched his name into history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by delivering a performance that defied all expectations, securing a dramatic gold medal in the men's 100m event.
Lyles' triumph marked the United States' first gold in the event since Justin Gatlin’s win at the 2004 Athens Olympics, ending a two-decade-long drought.
However, amidst the celebration of his monumental victory, Lyles' thoughts were not solely on his accomplishments, but on the man who believed in his potential long before the world did—his late high school coach, Rashawn Jackson.
Jackson, who passed away earlier this year, was more than just a coach to Lyles; he was a mentor who saw in the sprinter what others, including Lyles himself, couldn’t yet recognize.
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Reflecting on his coach’s lasting influence, Lyles shared an emotional tribute during an interview with SportsCenter.
"To be honest, I'm kind of excited to honor my coach [Rashawn Jackson]," Lyles said, speaking with pride and sorrow.
"I lost my high school coach this year right after the Olympic trials, and it was a big moment, you know, as we look at this [Noah Lyles' victory pose after the 100m win at the Paris Olympics] picture behind me, I remember thinking about when he actually, you know, this was basically our dream that we came up with together."
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The 27-year-old sprinter revealed that Jackson had always envisioned him as a top contender in the 100m, a belief that even Lyles initially found hard to accept.
"I remember the day he said that I could be a 100-meter runner just as much as I could be a 200-meter runner," Lyles said.
"At the time, I didn’t believe him, but you know, as time went on, I proved him right every time I stepped onto the track."
Jackson's foresight, though not immediately apparent to others, proved prophetic as Lyles made his historic dash to gold in Paris.
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17:00 - 12.09.2024
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Despite being an underdog in the 100m, Lyles had already displayed world-class form earlier in 2023, winning the 100m at the Budapest World Championships with a personal best of 9.83 seconds.
In the semifinals, Lyles clocked an impressive 9.83 seconds but finished behind Jamaican sprinters Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville, casting doubt on whether he could challenge them in the final.
But Lyles, seemingly inspired by Jackson's enduring belief in his abilities, saved his best performance for the final showdown.
Despite a slow start, Lyles surged ahead in the last 50 meters, edging out Thompson in a thrilling photo finish with both sprinters recording a time of 9.79 seconds.
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Lyles claimed the gold by an astonishing 0.005 seconds, delivering the victory that his late coach had envisioned.
Not only did Lyles bring home gold for the USA in the 100m, but he also secured a bronze medal in the 200m event despite testing positive for COVID-19 before the final.
Although he fell short of defending his title in the 200m, his double-medal performance, combined with his earlier victories at the World Championships, solidified his place as one of the greatest sprinters of his generation.
While Lyles continues to revel in his accomplishments, the memory of Rashawn Jackson remains at the forefront of his mind.
"This was basically our dream," Lyles said.
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