Olympian Noah Lyles Is the Fastest Geek in the World

The “nerd versus jock” binary is a classic trope, but it’s not true anymore (if it ever was true in the first place). Lots of people who like video games and comic books also watch or play sports. Likewise, there are sports fans who also are into some real geeky stuff. This includes some of the best professional athletes around — like Noah Lyles, the fastest man in the world and possibly one of the world’s biggest Yu-Gi-Oh fans, too. 

If you’ve been watching the NBC family's incredible coverage of the 2024 Olympics, you’ve probably seen the 27-year-old sprinter. Lyles, along with fellow American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, gymnast Simone Biles, and swimmer Katie Ledecky have been some of the popular faces of the Paris games. Lyles is arguably the favorite to win Gold in the men’s 100-meter dash. He’ll race for the first time during the preliminary heats on Saturday and, assuming he makes it, the final on Sunday. He’ll also run the 200-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay. (Click here for the full track & field schedule.)

Team USA Track & Field Star Noah Lyles Is the Biggest Geek at the Olympics  

Lyles is the reigning world champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, having taken the Gold Medal in both races during the 2023 track & field championships. His athletic bona fides are clear. What’s also clear is how nerdy he is. During the U.S. Olympic Trials, which were held last month, Lyles made something of a scene when he brought Yu-Gi-Oh cards with him to the track. During the heats of the 100-meter dash, Lyles pulled a card out of his shirt and showed it off to the camera before sticking it back in and winning the race. The card was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, iconic among fans for being one of the most powerful cards in the game and accompanying manga and anime series. 

Lyles also spent much of the trials carrying around a briefcase, the contents of which remained a mystery until he had Snoop Dogg — the rapper-turned-Olympic commentator who was also present at the U.S. Trials — reveal that Lyles had more Yu-Gi-Oh cards in there. All five parts of Exodia the Forbidden One, a collection of cards that give the holder an automatic victory if they happen to have all of them in their hand, were in Lyles’ position. He had the Head of Exodia with him on the start line before he won the 100-meter final, punching his ticket to Paris and becoming the national champion. 

Lyles is hardly the only athlete to be a big anime fan. At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo (which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic), multiple athletes referenced the manga and anime One Piece while competing. And at the 2022 Winter Olympics, athletics were geeking out over superheroes, too. 

Watch Noah Lyles compete in Track & Field, along with the rest of NBCUniversal’s Olympics coverage!