"As Noah Lyles mom, I understand"-American's mother posts heartfelt message for Olli Hoare as Aussie receives backlash following Olympic exit

Noah Lyles' mother, Keisha Caine Bishop, extended her support to Australian middle-distance runner Olli Hoare, who faced online hatred. He was criticized by the fans after losing his repechage round race at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics.

Hoare participated in the men's 1500m repechage heat on Saturday, where he finished fifth with a time of 3:34.00 and could not make it to the semi-final start list of the runners. Following that, the athlete was thrown under the bus by fans online, which ultimately resulted in Hoare abandoning his Instagram handle until the ongoing season ended.

The 27-year-old Sydney-born runner is a Commonwealth Games and Diamond League final winner and has won a bronze at the World Cross Country Championships. Following the qualification disappointment, he revealed what he has been through lately. He said (as quoted by The Guardian):

"My Instagram has been really bad after that. It was a terrible race, and I’ve been abused on Instagram so I had to delete it. It’s not great. I probably should have deleted Instagram before I went into the Village, but I miss my friends."

As Olli Hoare's statement went out on the internet, the runner received support from Noah Lyles' mother, who expressed her solidarity with the Australian, writing:

"As the mother of Noah Lyles, I totally understand how you feel. Those people who say mean things are not happy people in themselves. Don't allow them to steal your joy. You are valuable, you are worthy, and I support you. Remember the quote from a famous poem, "it is not the critic who counts."" As per Mitch Dyer, a track and field journalist's tweet

"If my dog was here he’d be the best support" - Olli Hoare on the backing he wanted after the defeat

2020 NYRR Millrose Games - Source: Getty

Olli Hoare revealed after the race that he was not feeling confident, even after winning the Diamond League and running some great races. Speaking about it, he said (via The Guardian):

"I just don’t feel confident, I’ve ran two 3:31s [this year], won a Diamond League, I still have no confidence. I don’t know what’s going on."

When questioned about what kind of support he needed after not making it to the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics, the runner replied:

"If my dog was here he’d be the best support structure because he doesn’t really care. Doesn’t even know what I do. He probably thinks I’m dead, because I haven’t been home for two months."

Olli Hoare also mentioned that he will reassess his skills and find out where he stands as an athlete after the heartbreaking race.