The track world is widely aware that Noah Lyles brought Exodia The Forbidden One, a Yu-Gi-Oh trading card, to the US Olympic Trials. However, as the athlete reveals on Track World News’ YouTube podcast, it took a lot of effort simply to obtain the prominent cards for the event.
Many individuals are aware of Lyles’ anime addiction. He is a genuine otaku who enjoys watching shonen animes such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, and others since he can relate to the characters, which also serves as a source of motivation for him. However, the athlete was recently observed carrying a silver briefcase, which raised many questions in the community.
He did unveil the contents of the briefcase at the US Olympic Trials, which featured Exodia The Forbidden One, one of the rare Yu-Gi-Oh cards. However, because these trading cards can be unboxed by anybody, their limited supply makes it difficult to locate the particular card he needs.
Fortunately, the athlete was able to find it on eBay, but he had to do it three months before the competition. Even though he is a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh, he disclosed interesting information about the hassle he went through for a single collection, as he says:
“I wasn’t actually allowed to play Yu-Gi-Oh, and I didn’t start watching it until I got to like 12 to 13. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a set deck of myself.”
Aside from the hassle, the six-time world champion also mentions that Konami, the company behind Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards, contacted him and asked him about his interests in the franchise. Lyles also says he didn’t expect his stint to be so successful.
Colin Waitzman, the podcast host, asked a humorous question about whether Noah Lyles‘ Yu-Gi-Oh trading card will be released soon or not, to which the athlete responded with a smirk and stated:
“You never know.”
The host had one more question about Lyles’ duel desk, which he carried in his hands. The world champion then tells a completely different story, revealing that he purchased it from the Facebook marketplace just one day before the event. The buyer set the price at $130, but the athlete said it was worth it for his otaku sentiments.
Lyles, being an Otaku, has various interests in the world of anime. Recently, he made an animated appearance in a special Adidas commercial inspired by Japanese manga.
Noah Lyles as an Anime Protagonist
Noah Lyles collaborated with his primary sponsor Adidas on a cyberpunk anime-themed commercial in which he appears as the protagonist holding the ‘gold stone’. However, in the anime, while racing and waving to the crowd, he is ambushed by the villain, Chita. The villain seized Lyles’ gold stone and then cast a spell on him.
However, the video shows the six-time world champion receiving motivational statements from an anonymous figure in a cloak. Drawing power from these encouraging remarks, Lyles surges on like a character from his favorite anime, Dragon Ball, toward his goal of defeating Chita and reclaiming his gold stone.
