Noah Lyles has a lot of backing from his legion of followers on his social media handles and from the fans who come to watch him at the venue during the track meets. However, his dream of becoming an athlete was a cloudy thought, as he suffered from asthma. Lyles’ mother Keisha Bishop, played an important role in his journey of becoming the top athlete of current generation as revealed in the newly released Netflix docuseries Sprint.
The first episode takes the audience back to the athlete’s family, where his mother reveals that she always has left that the six-time world champion was born with a lot of energy.
However, she also states how everyone has to go through the tough challenges that life throws at them, and for Lyles, it was asthma. The video transitions to the 26-year-old, as he recalls how he and sports were two polar opposites due to the ailment he sustained in himself. He recalls the tough times in the hospitals he spent, saying:
“I can’t remember a lot of nights where I wasn’t at the hospital getting medication to just try to calm down the episodes.”
The athlete’s perseverance was boosted by his supportive mother during his worst days of childhood. Keisha recalls how she would just hold him all night to help him feel at ease while he was dealing with one of his most difficult challenges in life. She further reveals how she provided emotional support to her child, saying:
“Sometimes we were the only two awake in the house. So we would talk and I would say, ‘Noah, one day this is going to go away and your life is not going to always be this way. I knew we were going to beat it. And then we’re going to create the best version of Noah we can create.”
The motivation Keisha instilled in not just Noah but her two children is tremendous. She always advised them that they were here for a reason and that they would confront many difficult obstacles with a confident face and strive to achieve the most they could with their best effort in everything in life. And this is what shaped the Noah Lyles we know today, as he credits it to his beloved mother, saying:
“I feel that my whole life has been things that are just unattainable. But if my mom wasn’t around, I wouldn’t be a professional athlete right now.”
As the episode focused on the 2023 World Championships, she was certain that her son would win a world title in the 100-meter sprint, a new challenge for him. The race was also highlighted by legend Usain Bolt, who was impressed by the sprinter’s approach to outperforming the grid.
Usain Bolt Outlines Noah Lyles’ Unique Trait
While an athlete’s racing pace distinguishes them from the rest of the grid, Noah Lyles has another characteristic that makes him a fierce competitor, according to Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican legend claims that whenever the six-time world champion is there, he puts pressure on his opponents, who have seen him dominate wherever he races. This distinct skill was also evident at the 2023 World Championships, as Lyles dominated the field and comfortably won the 100-meter gold.
