Current:Home > NewsHow Noah Lyles' coach pumped up his star before he ran to Olympic gold in 100 meters -Edge Finance Strategies
How Noah Lyles' coach pumped up his star before he ran to Olympic gold in 100 meters
View
Date:2025-04-15 07:27:33
SAINT-DENIS, France — Before Noah Lyles walked onto the track in the men's 100-meter final Sunday night, his coach Lance Brauman told him that the next time they saw one another, Lyles would be an Olympic champion.
"I said 'Hey, a showman shows up when the show's on,'" Brauman recalled. "And that's what he did."
Lyles surged to a thrilling and momentous Olympic gold medal Sunday, cementing his place as the fastest man in the world by beating Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in a photo finish that might go down as the closest final in Olympic history. The jumbotron at Stade de France showed both men with a time of 9.79 seconds, while the actual margin between them was almost impossibly slim: Five thousandths of a second.
Brauman, who has coached Lyles for years, watched it all unfold from a spot on the back stretch near the finish line, grappling with the kind of nerves and excitement that only the Olympic final can provide.
At around the 60-meter mark, he said he felt really good about Lyles' positioning. At 80 meters, he thought "holy cow, he's right there." At 90, he started to worry. It was a much closer race than he thought.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
"I thought he was going to run a (personal best). I have for the past three weeks," Brauman said. "It was just a matter of, was he going to run a big enough PB to win the race? And he did."
Brauman said he had to move from his seat to get a better view of the jumbotron. When asked about the time, 9.79, he noted that it was the fastest time to win an Olympic 100-meter final by someone not named Usain Bolt. But he also added that "I didn't give a (expletive) what the time was, to be totally honest with you." Brauman just cared that Lyles crossed the line first.
Ditto for the 27-year-old's form at the end, where he might have had a slight lean. (Contrary to preconceived notions, sprinting coaches teach their pupils to run up straight and power through the line, as leaning can cause deceleration.)
"I haven't seen it on film," Brauman said when asked if Lyles broke his form at the finish line. "If I go back and look at it? Maybe. But I don't really give a (expletive) right this second."
Brauman cracked a smile. He's usually pretty reserved but said he went bonkers when he saw that Lyles had become an Olympic champion − a title that eluded him at the 2021 Tokyo Games and has, in part, motivated him in the three years since.
Brauman said this race, like all of Lyles' wins in recent years, isn't about his coaching or the message he offered before the race. But it is special to him. And, at least for now, the meticulous, affable coach with a Southern drawl said the usual analysis of Lyles' technique and form could wait.
"In races like that, you just got to do what you have to do to get to the line first," Brauman said. "He has a knack for it. And he did a hell of a job today."
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.
▶ The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (21)
Related
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- N.Y. Gas Project Abandoned in Victory for Seneca Lake Protesters
- California could ban certain food additives due to concerns over health impacts
- Shoppers Love These Exercise Dresses for Working Out and Hanging Out: Lululemon, Amazon, Halara, and More
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- It Ends With Us: See Brandon Sklenar and Blake Lively’s Chemistry in First Pics as Atlas and Lily
- Megan Fox Rocks Sheer Look at Sports Illustrated Event With Machine Gun Kelly
- This Week in Clean Economy: Major Solar Projects Caught Up in U.S.-China Trade War
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- This Week in Clean Economy: Chu Warns Solyndra Critics of China’s Solar Rise
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- Dakota Pipeline Builder Rebuffed by Feds in Bid to Restart Work on Troubled Ohio Gas Project
- Tori Bowie's death highlights maternal mortality rate for Black women: Injustice still exists
- Allow Viola Davis to Give You a Lesson on Self-Love and Beauty
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- These Genius Amazon Products Will Help You Pack for Vacation Like a Pro
- Billions of people lack access to clean drinking water, U.N. report finds
- What is Babesiosis? A rare tick-borne disease is on the rise in the Northeast
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Florida bans direct-to-consumer auto sales but leaves carve-out for Tesla
Love is something that never dies: Completing her father's bucket list
Jennifer Lopez’s Contour Trick Is Perfect for Makeup Newbies
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
Weaponizing the American flag as a tool of hate
Florida bans direct-to-consumer auto sales but leaves carve-out for Tesla
Salman Rushdie Makes First Onstage Appearance Since Stabbing Attack