Noah Lyles Opens Up on ‘Post-Olympic Syndrome’: “You Don’t Know Where to Go”

Now that the Olympics is over and Noah Lyles has recovered from COVID-19, things haven’t come to an end. The sprinter has been promising more action and wins, and the upcoming leagues and meets would give him a chance to do so. However, training for something for four years only for it to be over isn’t easy to navigate, and Lyles opens up about his post-Olympic feelings.

A lot of times, athletes might face a post-Olympics ‘syndrome’ since the end of the event leaves them with the burning question of what’s next. Lyles spoke about this in an Interview with Dan Patrick, where he revealed how he dealt with the situation.

The 27-year-old opened up about how, for athletes like him, it was difficult to come down from the high that events like the Olympics left them with.

This feeling worsens, especially when the athletes end up winning medals or finishing at a position that gets them on top. They end up with a void surrounding their schedule and future plans.

“…it’s very hard sometimes for athletes to come down off that because you’ve worked for…four years and maybe more. And because of that, you don’t know where to go once you’ve got up to the top.”

But for Lyles, he claimed he knew how to combat the blues with the mindset that he had developed for himself. While he did bag the gold for the 100m sprint, he assured that even if he did not end up victorious, he would still have a plan in place.

“I think me knowing what I want to do with the gold medal, with the title, has helped me in a sense.”

According to Lyles, medal or no medal, he would’ve still strived to be better while keeping up with his training and regular schedule. He did not let the event affect his work as a sprinter, creator, or inventor, which gave him an edge over the syndrome.

While the fame that came with winning a medal was sweet enough for any athlete to ride the popularity train, Lyles felt comfortable regardless of his wins. Despite his COVID-19 diagnosis, he managed to bag a gold and a bronze, which several felt was a commendable feat in itself.

And yet, if he had to return home after a dissatisfying run at the Olympics, he knew he could do it all over again and in a better way. With the season still left and the Diamond League events coming up, all eyes are on Lyles to see his true potential post-Olympics.