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Paris Notebook: Noah Lyles Looking For A Bit Less Attention in Olympic VillagePublished by
Team USA Stars Share Thoughts At Press Conference Less Than A Week From Start Of Track And Field Competition By David Woods for DyeStat PARIS – Noah Lyles loves people, loves the crowds. At USA Track & Field’s pre-Olympics news conference Monday, he suggested absence of fans during the pandemic contributed to his 200-meter defeat at Tokyo 2021. “If there is no crowd,” he said, “that is most likely when you see me lose.” Yet, even Lyles likes to dine in peace. At the Olympic Village, he said he cannot do that. He attributed it to the six-part docuseries “SPRINT,” which ranked sixth among most-watched shows on Netflix in its first week since a July 2 release. SPRINT drew 2.4 million views in the first week. Being a popular figure among other athletes in the village brought challenges, Lyles said. “I’ve been finding myself eating at very random times in the back of the cafeteria, just to kind of have my space with me and just my girlfriend as we try to enjoy a meal,” he said. The 27-year old from Alexandria, Va., said he would speak to organizers about protecting privacy, but not until after the Olympics. Unlike some athletes, he said, he would rather stay in the village than in a hotel elsewhere. “I’m not even the most popular person in the village, so I know I’m not the only one who’s had to deal with situations like this," he said. " I just talk about it to bring it to people’s attention. Even though we might be superstars in your eyes, we’re still human beings and want to have our own space and our time.” Lyles, who has been outspoken about mental health, said he would consult with one of his therapists – he has three – to develop the proper mental state. He opens Saturday in the first round of the 100 meters, followed by semifinals and final Sunday. He is aiming for three gold medals, duplicating his feat from last year’s World Championships – and perhaps four golds if included in the 4x400 relay. Going For Gold It was not necessarily a pact made five years ago, but it might as well have been. Grant Holloway recalled when he and Lyles were roommates during the 2019 World Championships at Doha, where they won gold medals in the 110-meter hurdles and 200 meters, respectively. Five years later, the Virginia natives seek their first Olympic gold medals. “Yo, we could take this sport by a chokehold,” Holloway remembered saying to Lyles. “I think ever since then, both of us, we’ve had our ups and downs. That’s track and field. On any given Sunday, anything can happen. “We just want to be consistent and dominate in the sport.” Holloway said “60 percent of the job” was to survive the Olympic Trials. He, Freddie Crittenden III and Daniel Roberts all ran sub-13-second times, the first time a trio had ever done so in the same race. Cherishing The Moment Shot putter Ryan Crouser, going for a third Olympic gold medal, said it has been difficult to accept he can no longer do the workouts he did when he was younger. “I still believe at the top end, I can be as good as I ever was, if not better,” said Crouser, 31. “It makes me cherish this Olympic experience all the more because I can see the writing on the wall. I can’t do this forever.” A Bigger Purpose It was a softball question – what does it mean to represent Team USA? – but Katie Moon turned it into a poignant home run. She recalled losing her father when she was 16. “When my dad passed, one of the last things he did was chant, ‘U-S-A.’ So for me, that’s really divine,” said Moon, defending gold medalist in the pole vault. “When I won the Olympics, my family was chanting, ‘U-S-A.’ To be here representing the USA, it’s so much bigger than me. It’s so much bigger than us. We’re doing it for so many people that can’t.” Throughout her career, Moon has written “Dad” on the inside of a spike and taps it before big jumps. Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007. More news |