"Dad was a professional for Adidas" - Noah Lyles spills beans about growing up in a sports-dominated family

Noah Lyles shared how growing up in a sports-dominated household with parents with track backgrounds helped him in his career. Lyles and his brother, Josephus Lyles, turned professional in the sport in 2016.

Noah Lyles grew a penchant for track after watching the 2012 London Olympics. He vied for a spot at the 2016 Rio Olympics, after impressing at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the 2016 New Balance Grand Prix. Though the American missed qualifying for Rio 2016, he amassed two gold at the World U20 Championships that year.

Now an Olympic gold medalist, Lyles shared how growing up with parents with a track background and his godparent Jearl Miles Clark being a five-time Olympian made him believe that making it to the Olympics was as natural as getting a driver's license.

"I grew up in a very Sports-dominated family; both of my parents were track-field athletes. My dad actually was professional for Adidas for a few years. My godparents like one of my godparents, Jearl Miles Clark five-time Olympian, she was the 800m American record holder you know multi-Olympic champion and her family is a family of runners and her husband who coached her also coached my dad, Lyles told on the Beyong the Recods podcast (1:11.38)

He added:

"So, here I am surrounded by Olympians growing up and I'm just going along, throughout my day I mean if you want to be an Olympian you just go get it like getting a driver's license."

Lyles' mother, Keisha Caine Bishop, and father, Kevin Lyles, were track athletes when they met at Seton Hall University. Sharing three kids, the couple divorced and Caine Bishop shifted to Alexandra, Virginia with the children.

Noah Lyles announced his first race of the 2025 track season

Lyles at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (Image Source: Getty)

Noah Lyles opened his track seasons with the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in 2023 and 2024. He won the 60m feat in the former edition, defending his title the following year, clocking a personal best time of 6.44s. After his successful Paris Olympic exploits, the 27-year-old will take the track for the first time in the Boston event, scheduled for February 2, 2025.

He took to his X post to write:

"The Champion Returns. @NBIndoorGP 2/2/25”

Noah Lyles has already had an impressive track and field career, with three Olympic medals and another seven in World Championships.