American sprint sensation Noah Lyles has opened up about how the COVID-19 pandemic left him struggling to speak as he battled isolation and fatigue.
The six-time world champion hopes to win Olympic gold in Paris this summer. He qualified for the Games with an electrifying 9.83 seconds in the 100 meters earlier this week. But just a few years ago, Lyles was stuck in a near-“constant asthma attack.”
Lyles, 26, said TIME that he felt “so empty” even after winning the 200 meters at the world championships in 2019. And then, when the coronavirus started locking down the world, he became isolated.
“He could barely talk,” Lyles said. ‘He was so tired. All the time. Even thinking was exhausting. He felt like he was almost in a constant asthma attack.
“You know there’s more room in your lungs, but you can’t physically use your muscles to breathe.”
Sprint sensation Noah Lyles opens up about how the pandemic left him struggling to breathe
Lyles qualified for the Paris Olympics with an electrifying 9.83 seconds in the 100 meters earlier this week.
His condition only worsened in May 2020, when George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by a white police officer.
“I remember constantly thinking, ‘That could be me,'” Lyles added.
Lyles battled severe asthma as a child, and the speedster couldn’t have toys or teddy bears for fear they would collect dust and worsen his condition. He was left with a barking cough, and some people from afar mistook him for a dog.
“One day he was on a conference call for work,” his mother Keisha told TIME. ‘And the supervisor said, “Would someone please take their dog out?”‘
Lyles was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. She also suffered “cruel” bullying at school, which she described as “abuse.”An emotional beating, that’s what really breaks you.’
American fans high-five after winning the 100-meter final at the US Olympic Trials.
Lyles spoke of his frustration after Adidas invited him to a shoe launch for Anthony Edwards.
But the 26-year-old has reached the top of the sprint. The American fell out with the NBA last summer, when he questioned why players call themselves “world champions” after winning a title.
Basketball stars bothered him again last year, when he was negotiating a contract extension with Adidas. The company invited the six-time world champion to Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards’ shoe presentation.
‘You want to do what?’ Lyles remembered. ‘Do you want to invite me to (an event for) a man who’s never even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe?
‘No disrespect: the man is an incredible athlete. He is having an incredible year. I love that they saw the idea of giving him a shoe, because they saw that it was going to be too big for him.
‘All I’m asking is, ‘How could you not see that for me?’”