Noah Lyles received a resolution from the State of Virginia as an expression of the general assembly's admiration for his achievements over the years as a track and field athlete. The American athlete returned to his hometown of Alexandria after the Paris Olympics and thanked them for the honor.
Lyles participated in his second consecutive Olympic Games in Paris and emerged victorious in the men's 100m and won the bronze medal in the men's 200m. He was set to compete in the men's 4x100m relay as well; however, he decided to opt out of the event after testing positive for COVID-19 in the French Capital.
The 27-year-old concluded the most successful Olympic campaign of his career and returned to his hometown a month later, where he received a heartwarming welcome from fans and the government organized a rally celebration.
The government of Alexandria took to X to share glimpses of the Rally celebration.
"We are loving the turnout for our #NoahLylesRallyCelebration! We’re all excited to have you back home !" read the caption.
Noah Lyles took to X to pen a note of gratitude and thanked the State of Virginia for the resolution as well as the warm reception upon his arrival to Alexandria.
"Thank you so much @AlexandriaVAGov I know this was last minute but it made a lot that so many of you came out today! And thank you State of Virginia for this Resolution 🥹," he wrote.
The athlete shared a photo of the resolution, which had excerpts of his achievements as a track and field athlete right from his high school days to his performance at the World Championships.
Noah Lyles on handling the nerves during the 100m final at the Paris Olympics
Noah Lyles won his first Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m after a photo finish with Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. He spoke about winning his first Olympic gold medal in an interview with NBC Sports.
“The moment that I'm gonna remember forever is the introduction for the 100 meters. So, we come out for the 100, I'm jumping around, and they're eating it up. And before they say, ‘On your mark,’ the time from the intros to the time on your mark, there's probably about seven minutes In that moment right there, as the time bomb gets closer and closer, and it compresses, and pressure is built more and more, I'm just like, ‘Yeah, I'm gonna win this race.’
The 100m being one of the most anticipated events of the Paris Olympics, the crowd was at their feet to witness the showdown. Lyles had a slow start but managed to push through in his drive phase and clinch his first gold medal after registering a chest finish line.