Do we like them?

Do we like Noah Lyles?

Our score: 7 out of 10. Decent and on the right side with a track record of speaking up, but the record on LGBTQ+ and climate issues is thin and the trash talk is a bit much.

Noah Lyles is the loudest sprinter on the planet and, on the track, one of the fastest. His upbringing was unusual: he told a podcast he grew up in a church group that was “super strict” and, in his words, “It was a cult.” His family left, tried another church in North Carolina, found the same rules and left again.

Most of his scandals are the sporting kind. In August 2025, after he won the US 200m title in 19.63, rival Kenny Bednarek shoved him with both hands just past the line. Lyles replied “You know what, you're right” and suggested they talk, and the two then spoke calmly and Bednarek offered a handshake. That's a stoush between two sprinters, not a mark on his character.

The recent stuff is mostly on the track. The 150m world best in June came in a rarely run event, which a few fans sniffed at. Then he ended his season in September, with FloTrack quoting him on the decision. Nothing nasty, nothing sinister.

The good stuff is real. He and his brother Josephus co-founded the Lyles Brothers Sports Foundation to support youth health and wellness, and in 2022 Alexandria gave them the key to the city as community ambassadors. In 2021 he went back to his old high school to talk with students about the pressure on young athletes, alongside his mother.

So would we back him? Yes. He's brash, loves a headline and can be a bit much, but he stands up for people and nothing in the record is harmful. Pencil him in as a seven because we'd love to hear more from him on queer rights and climate, and because the cockiness is a lot.