Sprinter Noah Lyles: "It has never been so difficult"

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Noah Lyles winning his second relay gold medal in Doha

Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

In Bradenton on the blue track, athletics fans could still marvel with and about Noah Lyles in early July. The US world champion ran the 200 meters for 18.90 seconds. A fabulous time - presumed world record, in a season inhibited by Corona. It seemed too absurd to himself. Before the solution came. Lyles had started on the wrong track, only running 185 meters. "You can't play with my feelings like that," he joked, and quite a few will have laughed with him at the mishap.

Well, a little later, Lyles had a message of far more serious concern when he reached out to his fans.

Noah Lyles talked about depression. Not for the first time. But detailed and open as seldom. "It's never been so difficult," he said. He has suffered from it since childhood, but it got worse in April. "You had to deal with the corona virus and the postponement of the Olympics, then Black Lives Matter came along." That literally gave him the rest.

Antidepressants: "One of the best decisions of my life"

Lyles didn't know what to focus on anymore. He would have liked to take a break. Wherever he looked there was only violence and murder. "It starts to scare you. The fear turns into an anxiety disorder - and then into depression. It can happen very quickly," he told the Washington Post.

When everything got too much, he couldn't go any further, his mother would have advised medication. In early August, he tweeted about antidepressants he was about to take. "One of the best decisions of my life," he wrote. Since then he has been able to think again without a dark undertone. He also speaks to therapists regularly, he said.

Lyles got a lot of encouragement for his words. He would show everyone how strong they are. How important is mental health. That depression is a curable disease.

Lyles had chosen the moment of greatest attention for his message, ahead of the Monaco meeting that weekend. It won't be much bigger than the Diamond League this year. The start of the series of the world's best, and the world champion talks about depression, therapy and tablets. That was a strong sign.

Lyles isn't the first professional athlete to admit his depression. But very few dare to do that during their career - especially if they are still at the beginning.

Especially since Noah Lyles had previously been known very differently: as an exceptional talent with ambitions and exaggerated demeanor. Lyles, that was always mostly colorful and loud. Funny to silly guy. He loves fast cars and raps. Who shows his drawing sketches on Instagram. Who dyes and styles his hair. Who poses like a thinker or with his tongue out, laughs exuberantly into almost every camera.

His trademark are colorful socks with manga and cartoon characters. He looks for new ones for each race.

Pure joy of life. If it weren't for the dark tones.

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Sonic Hedgehog: Noah Lyles is known for socks like these

The 23-year-old has never kept a secret of his health. In Doha, after his World Cup success, he had already spoken about depression. About the asthma that would have plagued him in early childhood, from coughing attacks and difficulty eating, countless days and weeks in the hospital before the medication worked. Absenteeism from school increasingly isolated him. Before the drugs worked and exercise became an outlet.

Lyles saved himself college and turned pro straight out of high school. He's training with Lance Brauman in Florida today. The German Gina Lückenkemper also belongs to the group. The successes came with self-confidence, speed and show. Youth world champion, junior world champion, gold at the youth games. Up to the double world championship title in Doha. Lyles could become the new star of his generation, it was said. He seemed to take the pressure off lightly. But that's not how depression works.

Lyles protested in Orlando with Black Lives Matter

Lyles has spoken thoughtfully over the past few weeks. On Twitter, he shared pictures of the Black Lives Matter protests from across the country. He attended one in Orlando himself, with his brother Josephus.

At the meeting on Friday, he raised his fist towards the sky before the start, as John Carlos and Tommie Smith once did. Before that, he wrote: "It breaks my heart because as an athlete I love to run for my country. But as a person, it's disheartening that my people get killed while I go out there and win medals to make the USA look good." allow."

Lyles starts with the USA on his chest. It is not uncommon for him to wear the Stars and Stripes, the stars and stripes around his shoulders when he wins. He brought fame to his country, which has always oppressed its people, he wrote. He has always felt this inner struggle, but never as much as in the past few weeks. He must now rethink what he wants to do and how to proceed. "I want to see change," he wrote. He also wants to donate to relevant organizations.

Lyles doesn't just want to be seen anymore, now he wants to be heard too. He wants people to understand.

This is where he differs a bit from the man he is often compared to. The now retired world record holder and superstar Usain Bolt, who is remembered for perfect self-staging in addition to sensational times, always stood for inviolability as the superman he embodied on the track. Lyles doesn't act like that.

Even if the comparison is obvious, not just because of the discipline. Lyles' running style is similar to Bolt's being sluggish at the beginning, fast on the straight. For Tokyo, he has set himself the double of 100 and 200 meters. He's aiming for Bolt's world record, even if it hasn't worked out in Bradenton. But Lyles repeatedly emphasizes that he does not want to follow in Bolt's footsteps. He would rather go his own way.