Noah Lyles makes his feelings known about his therapist's role in helping him deal with pressure before major races

Noah Lyles is one of the best sprinters of the current generation, having won six World Championships golds and three Olympic medals. The American has been outspoken about his struggles with mental health and recently opened up about the role his therapist plays for him before a major race.

Lyles first opened up about his mental health journey after the Tokyo Olympics, where he took bronze in the 200m despite having been a favorite for the win. At the time, the sprinter revealed that he had been struggling with depression since the Covid-19 pandemic and had been on antidepressants in the summer of 2020.

Since then, Noah Lyles has been vocal about the importance of mental health in sports and everyday life. Recently, a fan on Instagram asked the 27-year-old how he dealt with the pressure before races. To this, Lyles replied,

“My sports therapist always helps me with that.”

Via Noah Lyles' Instagram

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Noah Lyles reveals his pre-race conversation with his therapist before the 100m Olympic finals

Lyles at the World Athletics Awards 2023 (Image Source: Getty)

Since opening up about his mental health struggles, Noah Lyles has revealed that he was diagnosed with ADD as a child and has been in therapy since he was young. In 2024, the sprinter revealed how a conversation with his therapist helped him prepare for the 100m Paris Olympics finals.

Lyles entered that race not a favorite for the win, having already been beaten in the semifinals by Jamaica’s Oblique Seville. However, in the race, the American edged past his competition by a thousandth of a second, making him the nation's first 100m Olympic champion since 2004.

After his victory, the sprinter recalled the conversation he had with his therapist prior to the race, saying (as quoted by Reuters),

"I wouldn't say nervous – I'd say I was extremely curious as to what was going to happen. That's how me and my therapist phrase it. I’m curious as to what I’m going to do, how am I going to pull this off. I came in third-fastest from the semis. I'm like 'This is going to be serious, this is not going to be easy'. And I had said OK, my therapist said 'You need to let go, you need to relax and you need to be yourself'.”

After storming to the 100m gold in the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles concluded his campaign at the Games with a bronze in the 200m. The sprinter hasn't been in action since but will return to the track at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix, where he enters as the defending champion in the 60m.