Ending 2024 Season Early, Noah Lyles Makes a Huge Promise to Anime Fans Amid His ‘Gold Medal Tour’: “Truly Prepared”

Ending his 2024 season early, Noah Lyles is in full throttle to make the most out of his free time. Last week, he walked the ramp at New York Fashion Week, then found time to unwind with Lewis Hamilton while watching the US Open women’s final. His packed schedule also allowed him to attend the men’s final, where he was spotted with tennis legend Stan Smith in the box. Did we miss adding that in these outings, Lyles had her girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, with him?

Now it’s Junelle Bromfield’s turn to shine on the ramp at NYFW, with her proud boyfriend, Noah Lyles, expected to be front and center cheering her on. Meanwhile, the fastest man on earth has revealed plans to indulge in a long-time passion during his vacation. He’s set to immerse himself in his favorite entertainment, expecting it to fill the entire duration of his break.

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On September 8, Noah Lyles shared an Instagram story, promising to fulfill a new goal. While keeping his girlfriend beside him, he said, “As Junelle is my witness today, I am starting One Piece.” But the series created by Eiichiro Oda is considered to be one of the longest-running anime series in history. So would it be possible for the 27-year-old to track it down? After all, he will have to do a mountainous task to cover it, starting this late. As usual, Lyles hardly cared about the risk of being lagged. Rather, he boasted, “I think I’m truly prepared on this journey.” All he has now is the knowledge of “reading manga for 50 chapters and watching ten to twelve episodes.” But what would be the defining factor is his immovable love for the manga.

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What better time for Noah Lyles to indulge in his passion than now? With no track engagements and no strict practice restrictions, he’s finally free to dive into his TV series watchlist. The reality is that catching up on “One Piece,” which began in 1999 and is now in its 38th season with episode 1117, will be a significant time commitment. But on completing his binge-watch, Noah added, “I should be done before December.” That felt unbelievable to Junelle.

She eventually asked, “Do you have time to watch it?” Her boyfriend replied, “I have time at this point in the season. Yes. To watch it.” It seems like the American record holder on the track is going to set another record but on the viewing time. But this fandom for manga series is not new for him.

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From Dragon Ball Z to Avatar: The Last Airbender, a champion grows What’s your perspective on:

Noah Lyles prioritizing anime over track—Is this a bold move or a risky distraction?

Have an interesting take?After clinching his first Olympic gold in Paris, Noah Lyles struck the iconic “Kamehameha” pose, channeling Goku’s signature move from the Dragon Ball series. Lyles has previously mentioned how the character, especially his Ultra Instinct form, has inspired him to channel his inner strength to overcome challenges. At the Stade de France, this inspiration was crucial as Lyles had to dig deep and give his all to edge out the competition.

Finally, he did that, by a five-thousandths of a second, against Kishane Thompson. It was like his point of meeting his idol, whom he had been worshiping since his early years. However, before coming to Paris, Noah pulled out the Yu-Gi-Oh cards. In the anime series, the legend of Seto Kaiba joined Blue-Eyes White Dragon to dominate the opponents. In the US Olympic track and field trials, Lyles pulled out the Yu-Gi-Oh cards one by one to signify his victory in each step. Not just that, Noah displayed his childlike emotion while watching another anime series, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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via Reuters

But the journey on this route has not always been smooth. He had to face separation for quite a time. One such came in the passing of Dragon Ball Z’s creator. The grieving fan of the world champion wrote on X, “So sad to lose a legend Akira Toriyama…Ik his work has forever affected my life.” However, now he has a chance to go down the fairy journey in the anime series again. Let’s hope it heals him.