By Chiann Nobrega
Unlike most athletes, Noah Lyles signed a professional contract (with Adidas) right out of high school. This turned out to be a surprisingly smooth transition for the 20-year-old, who grew up in a household designed to promote success in the sport.
“When we were in high school, my mom kind of set up our lives almost as if we were professional runners,” he said. “We had a chiropractor. We had a massage therapist. We had a sports psychologist. Everything was very structured, so truthfully the only thing that I am really doing now is my own laundry and cooking.”
The preparation has paid off. Lyles has won every IAAF Damond League race he has competed in: Shanghai and Brussells in 2017 and Doha three weeks ago, where he got a PR of 19.83 in the 200. Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic will be his fourth IAAF Diamond League 200 meters.
“As a parent, when your children tell you what their dreams are and if they’re putting in the work, then it is our job to support them however we can emotionally, financially and logistically,” said Lyles’ mom, Keisha Caine-Lyles. “When they tell me what their dreams are, I tell them I support them 100 percent.”
Keisha and Lyles’ father, Kevin, each ran the 400 at Seton Hall University, and Kevin also ran for Adidas for three years. This weekend Keisha will be in the stands supporting her son and wearing a pair of custom painted Adidas Noah gifted her for Mother’s Day.
Noah Lyles is currently transitioning from indoor to outdoor events, which has caused a change in his training. He is centered toward getting “race ready” and properly setting up the race.
“Compared to last year, I’m 100 percent better,” Lyles said. “I am definitely feeling a lot more fresh than last year. My legs are a lot stronger. We spend a lot of time in the off season building up my body mass to make sure I can handle the times that I am producing.”
Lyles has been able to get a PR in the 200 every time he competed at Hayward — 20.18 at the 2015 junior nationals and 20.09 at the 2016 Olympic trials, where he set a national high school record and just missed making the Olympic team. He is excited to be back in Eugene.
“I remember I was walking down at the Olympic trials, and it was the last day,” he said. “It was a distance race, maybe the 5K, and the fans were going crazy. There were people hanging over the edges banging against the walls and yelling and screaming. And I told myself this, this is track and field. This is what I want to feel. People were applauding and yelling my name, and I was only in high school. People knew me and I was excited. It’s the energy people bring to the track that makes everything so magical.”
Lyles’ competitors Saturday include two-time Olympians Ramil Guliyev of Turkey and Aaron Brown of Canada, 2018 Commonwealth gold medalist Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tabago, and Ameer Webb, who is the last person to defeat Coleman in the 200 at the 2017 U.S. outdoor nationals.
Christian Coleman dropped out of the 200 to focus on the 100, a decision that has not affected Lyles.
“I believe that he decided that he had to make a smart decision and go with the 100,” Lyles said. “This doesn’t mean that the 200 is any less. This is a stacked race and does not take away from how talented this field is.”
Lyles’ past successes and supportive upbringing has been preparing him for a meet like this since high school.
“If I am running against world champions, then I am running against world champions. If I’m running against record holders, then I’m running against record holders,” Lyles said. “Just because I am younger does not mean I can’t go fast.”
