4 min read

Noah Lyles might as well be the main character of his own anime . From a childhood spent obsessing over Dragon Ball Z , Yu-Gi-Oh! , One Piece— all of which tell stories of underdogs putting in work to surpass their limits—the 28-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia, now enjoys a thriving adulthood as a track and field World champion and Olympic gold medalist . (He won gold in the 100-meter sprint in Paris last year.) But the man recognized as the third-fastest ever to run 200m isn't slowing down. Like any shōnen anime, the saga of Noah Lyles continues.

"When you watch anime, you understand what a main character is," Lyles tells me. "The way I view my career, my world, my life, is as a main character. The hardships, the fun times, the adventures, taking the steps fo

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