"It burns my chest every time I think about it"- Noah Lyles reflects on his bronze-medal win in Tokyo ahead of Paris Olympics 2024

Six-time world champion Noah Lyles reflected on his 2020 Tokyo Olympic third-place finish in the 200-meter event and how it affected him. In a recent interview, the athlete spilled the beans on what he felt like after securing his maiden Olympic medal at the event.

Lyles, a force to be reckoned with in the track-running domain, has been one of the most consistent performers for the United States for years. So much so that the runner has amassed a long list of accolades that includes seven world championship medals, six golds, and one silver.

Lyles has also won the prestigious Diamond League trophy four times and currently places number 1 and 2 in the 100- and 200-meter world rankings, respectively.

However, the Olympics remain the one event where the Florida native has yet to showcase his sprinting prowess, as he only won a bronze medal when he last participated in a Summer Games competition in Tokyo in 2020.

The 26-year-old competed in Tokyo in his maiden Olympic event, and he had qualified for the 200m and the 4x100m relay races at the time. But he could only manage a bronze in the 200-meter event after being defeated by his Canadian counterpart Andre De Grasse and compatriot Kenny Bednarek, who took gold and silver in the event.

Noah Lyles was so heartbroken after losing the race that he moved to tears, and in a recent interview with Time, the reigning triple world champion opened up about what he felt at the time.

"It burns my chest every time I think about it," he told Time.

He also revealed that he still watches that final on YouTube and shared his current feelings about it.

"It is physically very hard for me to push play. But every time I look at it, I’m just like, ‘Yeah, I am not that guy anymore,’" he concluded

Noah Lyles is ready to compete at the Paris Olympics after winning the 100m event at the US Olympic Trials

2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 3

Noah Lyles is looked up to as one of the foremost members of Team USA who can bring not only one but multiple golds at next month's Paris Olympics, and he has expressed his ambition to win four medals at the event.

But for that, he needed to qualify for the event, and he very much did so at the ongoing trials in Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon. Lyles won the 100-meter final with a personal best of 9.83 seconds, leaving behind Kenny Bednarek (9.87 seconds) and Fred Kerley (9.88 seconds), who also made it to the Olympics.

Talking about the win and the Olympic qualification, Noah Lyles stated (via BBC):

"Three years ago I got second to last. This year I came and won it. Part of the plan. Nothing changed. Might be a shock to everybody else, but when you know the goal, you know the goal."

He further added that his third-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics ignited that fire in him and fueled that hunger in him to accomplish what he has in the last few years.