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Noah Lyles, bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympics, said he relates to Kanye West's life and likened the struggles he faced on his way to the top of his field to those of the rapper's. The 27-year-old also called himself a fan of West's old work.
Lyles has had some impressive performances so far in 2024, which culminated in his exploits at the Paris Olympics. The American won gold in the men's 100m, finishing behind Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek.
Lyles recently spoke to the mixed feelings newsletter and was asked to name his favorite "problematic" artist, actor, or musician. The 27-year-old named West and said that he related a lot to the latter's life, including the struggles he faced on his journey to the top.
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"It is…Kanye West. I'm sorry!…I feel like I relate to a lot of Kanye's life. Going through struggle, trying to make it to the top, trying to do it your own way. Not saying that he shouldn’t be reprimanded — he needs to be, he definitely needs some help. But I definitely relate to Kanye and I'm still a very big fan of his old work," Lyles said.
Noah Lyles on connecting to Kanye West's "Jesus Walks"
During his interview with mixed feelings, Noah Lyles was asked to name a song that made him feel understood. The Olympic gold medalist mentioned three songs, including Kanye West's "Jesus Walks." Lyles said he connected to the song "very much".
"I connect to that very much because I've definitely been guided by God, but I feel like mainstream media doesn't want to hear that. Anytime you talk about it, everybody gets turned off and it’s very hard to figure out how you handle that," Lyles said.
The other songs the 27-year-old mentioned were "Lucky Me" by Big Sean and "October Sky" by Yebba.
Lyles has yet to appear in competition since his exploits at the Paris Olympics. The American did not take part in the Diamond League final in Brussels.
Lyles has had an impressive outdoor season so far in 2024, having won all but two of his individual races. While one of these was the 200m final at the Paris Olympics, the American finished second to Kishane Thompson at the Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica.
He also had a decent indoor season, winning silver in the 60m event at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, won by Christian Coleman.
