"At some point it's like 'Who cares'" - Noah Lyles on explaining to others about his self-belief not being arrogance

American athlete Noah Lyles recently shared his views on his self-belief. The 100m and 200m world champion said that his self-belief is not his arrogance but his strength to become the greatest athlete in the world.

A 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist, Noah Lyles has risen to enigmatic fame in the last few years. Since 2019, he has been the dominating 200m world champion. In fact, last year, he entered the list of third fastest man in the 200m category. He secured the title by clocking 19.31.

Moreover, at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Noah Lyles created history by becoming the only athlete after Usain Bolt to win three gold medals. He won the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay race.

Another reason that makes Noah Lyles an extremely popular athlete is his self-belief. However, on some occasions, his self-belief has been misunderstood as arrogance by the world. A clear instance of this was noticed when Lyles compared the popularity of track and field to the NBA.

Recently, in an interview on his own YouTube channel, Lyles was asked about how he dealt with people calling him arrogant. He said,

"Well the thing is, I just stop explaining it. Cause I mean at some point, it's like “Who Cares, Who Cares” with this."

Furthermore, he shared his conversation with retired NFL player Brandon Marshall in an interview:

"I remember I was talking to Brandon Marshall on his I Am Athlete podcast and it was a great conversation. We were talking about how selfish you truly have to be to get to these positions fans want to see. You get to this place and then they'll easily try and find the next person who will get to that place but they don't understand what it takes to get there."

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Noah Lyles clapped back at criticism for disclosing his goal

Lyles at Day 8 - World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Days before the world championship in August, Lyles told NBC Sports that he was planning to win three gold medals. In fact, he was also hopeful of setting the world record in the 200m.

He revealed that he desired to get closer to Usain Bolt’s record by clocking 9.65s and also break the 200m world record by running it in 19.19s.

Lyles received criticism from many for disclosing his goals openly before the championship. However, he clapped back at his critics while talking to Citus Mag.

“I'm here to run 9.65 & I'm here to run 19.10," Lyles said.

He added,

"The crazy thing is it causes so much controversy. Why should my dream or belief cause controversy with you? It has nothing to do with you. And If I don't get it and if I do get it, how does it change your life?"

However, Lyles failed to surpass Usain Bolt’s 19.19s in the 200m. He clocked 19.52s in the 200m and 9.83s in the 100m.