Noah Lyles is one of the most-followed athletes in the current season due to his previous accomplishments. He has been preparing hard for the Paris Olympics, and his success at the US Olympic Trials demonstrated that all the pieces of the great puzzle are falling into place flawlessly for the track star.
However, all of his success since turning professional in 2016 and becoming the fastest 200-meter American male sprinter at the 2022 World Championships can be attributed to the guidance provided by his coach, Lance Brauman.
A Huge Coaching Legacy
Lance Brauman started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Auburn University in 1994. In 1995, he transferred to Barton County Community College, where he helped produce some of the world’s top sprinters over seven years.
Lance went on to serve as an instructor at the University of Arkansas from 2002 to 2006, before teaming with apparel giant Adidas to launch PURE Athletics in 2007. The word PURE stands for Perfect Understanding of Running Efficiency, and the coach’s accomplishments speak for themselves.
He has raised many Olympians, World Champions, and even record holders, as evidenced by his 21 Olympic medals, 35 World Outdoor Championship medals, and 7 World Indoor Championship medals. He coaches Adidas-sponsored athletes, and in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he had 15 contestants vying for the gleaming gold medal.
He also worked with staff members such as Cristy Snellgroves (Assistant Sprints Coach), one-time Olympic champion Keston Bledman (Assistant Sprints Coach), and Evan Gregory.
Athletes Nick Mayhugh, Junelle Bromfield, Alonso Edward, Elijah Godwin, Gina Lückenkemper, Udodi Onwuzurike, Jereem Richards, Wayde van Niekerk, Kendal Williams, Noah Williams, and Méba-Mickaël Zeze are among those excited to be included in this group, in addition to Noah Lyles.
All of these athletes have a dream to pursue, and Brauman is providing them with the appropriate platform to be the best versions of themselves as they seek their sports goals.
Helping Noah Lyles on His Path to Athletic Greatness
Since 2016, Noah Lyles has been under Lance Brauman’s guidance. Brauman has seen the American prodigy grow into the six-time world champion we know today, and he has high expectations for him at any major event given his ability.
Lyles has had many ups and downs and has often mentioned how his coach pushes him to new heights because he is quite tough with his remarks. According to Brauman, he is not raising any athletes but rather assisting them in honing their already-acquired skills to perfection.
Netflix’s latest documentary, ‘Sprint’, which provided an overall look at Lyles’ strengths and weaknesses, revealed that he, like Usain Bolt, did not get off to a strong start. However, there is a significant difference between the Jamaican icon and him, since Bolt’s strides are longer than the American’s, and even when he started late, he always crossed his opponents on the grid.
The 2023 Budapest World Championships also demonstrated that Noah overcame the obstacle of competing in a 100-meter sprint in a major tournament, proving that he and his coach are on the right path. The athlete’s form carried over into the 2024 season, as he began the outdoor meets with a bang in the 100 meters. Lyles continued to win until the Racers Grand Prix, where he encountered his first challenge of the year, Oblique Seville, who outran him in the race.
However, the six-time world champion returned to his winning ways at the US Olympic Trials with full dominance. There are plenty of rivals ahead of Noah, but with the proper preparation he is receiving from Lance Brauman, every American is hoping for Olympic gold medals to return home.
