"Not naming any of them after me" - Noah Lyles opens up about keeping his future kids away from the pressure and limelight of his 'fastest man' shadow

Noah Lyles stated that he would not name his kids after him, wishing to keep them away from his shadow to avoid judgments based on certain parameters. Lyles also wished his children to make their own choices and make enough money by mere talent, not running after endorsements or partnerships.

After dating for two years, Noah Lyles got engaged to fellow track athlete Junelle Bromfield on 13th October after making waves at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The reigning 100m Olympic champion then gifted a house to his fiance, followed by appearances at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the GQ event, among others.

On December 19, 2024, the second episode of the Beyond the Records podcast, hosted by Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin, and Grant Holoway, welcomed the most decorated YouTuber, Mr. Beast (originally Jimmy Donaldson).

In a conversation, when Donaldson wished to see Lyles' kids on the global stage in 20 years, the Olympian stated that he didn't want his future kids to be overshadowed by his legacies and lose their identities.

"Not naming any of them after me. No juniors. I always felt that it gives such a strong stigma to the kids. It puts you on to them. Like, oh, yeah, your dad is this, and your dad is that, and he did this, and he worked with so and such, and you wouldn't be amazed at things. And now you have that name, so you almost lose a little bit of your identity. I don't want any of my kids to feel like they don't have their own identity." (1:20:18)

He further noted that building a coach-mentee relationship with his child is not on his list. Rather, he wants to support them with his learnings.

"'Hey, you know, it's hard. I know it. I've been there. But you're going through your own journey and you know, if you look at it like this, it's not so bad,'" he quoted. (1:20:33 onwards)

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Noah Lyles once opened up about the 200m not holding as much importance as the 100m

Noah Lyles celebrating at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 - (Source: Getty)

Lyles became the 100m champion narrowly defeating Kishane Thompson at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, his 200m gold-winning run ended after he fell sick with COVID-19. Ahead of the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, he said he would be happy to focus on the 100m since the 200m doesn't hold that much importance to most people.

"Nobody cares about the 200m. I mean it's fun to watch but at the end of the day nobody and the common people, non-track and field athletes they don't care about the 200." (via LetsRun.com podcast) (12:50 onwards)

Lyles also highlighted Usain Bolt's mindset and why he chose to stick to the 100m in the latter part.

"It's the 100 that's why when Bolt was winding down, he stuck to the 100 cuz the 200m wasn't going to get him extra motto, it was all about the 100m, everybody wants to know the fastest man in the world."

Noah Lyles achieved the three-peat at the 2023 World Championships, winning the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay gold podiums.