Naomi Osaka, Gabby Thomas and the sports world extend their heartfelt wishes to Noah Lyles as world champion turns 27

Noah Lyles turned 27 on July 18, just eight days ahead of his big showdown at the Paris Olympics. The athlete expressed gratitude for being blessed with his opportunities and received heartfelt wishes from renowned athletes such as Naomi Osaka, Gabby Thomas, among others.

Lyles is poised to represent the US in the Olympics for the second time after his bronze medal victory in the Tokyo Olympics. He is now geared up to compete in the 100m and 200m races following his formidable performance at the US Olympic trials. The athlete is currently under the spotlight with his victorious performances and his appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show.

"27 years around the sun and I don't take any of those days for granted. BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED," Lyles captioned a post on Instagram that had several pictures of himself.

Noah Lyles' post had quite a few wishes from fellow athletes. These included former tennis World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who wrote:

"Happy Birthday 🎉"

Gabby Thomas, who will be Lyles' Olympic teammate in Paris, wrote:

"Happy Birthday!!"

Another track and field athlete, Masai Russell, also shared a birthday wish for Lyles, saying:

"Happy birthday🔥🥳🎉"

Track and field athlete Jyadon Hibbert commented:

"NOAH🔥🔥"

Noah Lyles talks about his competition at the Paris Olympics

In a recent conversation with TIME, Noah Lyles opened up about his quest for the Paris Olympics. From his training to his competitors, Lyles spoke about it all. He spoke about his competitors, including Letsile Tobago and others. Lyles claimed that he would race anybody, and knew that he was going to win.

"I'm here to race anybody who wants it," Noah Lyles said. "The deeper the field, the better I run. I know I'm going to win. Because I'm never going to break nerve."

Lyles also opened up about how racing was important to him:

"Being able to run with passion, and a smile on your face, and turning a race into something for everybody to enjoy, that’s what I consider running with soul.

He added:

"It just means that I'm happy. I love to do what I do. And that's a dangerous guy."

Before heading to Paris, for his second Olympic games, Noah Lyles will compete in the 100m at the London Diamond League. Here, he will take on the likes of Zharnel Hughes, Letsile Tebogo, Akani Simbine and Yohan Blake, among others.