In early March this year, Noah Lyles found himself in hot water. During an episode of the Beyond The Records podcast, which he co-hosts, Lyles made a claim about Jamaica’s legendary high school athletics competition — the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships, or simply Champs. According to Lyles, the reason Champs pulls massive crowds every year is that “the races are free.” But that wasn’t true. And the Jamaican track and field community let him have it.
Champs, held annually at Kingston’s National Stadium, is anything but a free-for-all. It’s a ticketed, highly anticipated event that showcases the best of Jamaica’s youth athletics — and fans pay good money to witness the spectacle. After the backlash, Lyles took to social media with a public apology: “I’m sorry that I spread this misinformation; it was never my job to mislead, and I didn’t fact-check enough. I’m trying to, you know, grow from this moment, but thank you everybody for informing me and thanks for watching the video.” That wasn’t his first time under fire either.
Just last July, the 27-year-old ruffled feathers again — this time in an interview on Track World News — by claiming to have insider knowledge of Jamaica’s national team locker room, supposedly thanks to his fiancée, Jamaican Olympian Junelle Bromfield. But this time… he seems to have gotten it right.
On April 16, Jamaican sprint legend Asafa Powell dropped a wholesome video on his YouTube channel, The Powells, alongside his wife Alyshia Miller. The video centered around their son Azhaf’s sports day — a big moment for the little champ. But then came a surprise twist. In the video, Powell played a special message — and it was none other than Noah Lyles himself, with a motivational shoutout for the Powell boys: “Amieke…Azhaf, I heard it’s sports day, and you must have the coolest parents in the world because they got Noah Lyles here to wish you a very great sports day. Go out there, kick bu**. I know you’re going to put it down on the track. Just remember, have fun and do you.”
Unexpected? Definitely. Heartwarming? For sure. And perhaps most importantly for Lyles — not controversial. However, it is mutual respect and fandom working behind. Example? In the video, Amieke took Noah’s name as his favorite athlete. On the other hand, thanking Noah for calling Azhaf over the phone after the latter’s achievement, Alyshia Miller said, “If not, it would be more to encourage him (Azhaf) and he was very happy so that was very sweet of him (Noah Lyles) and we appreciate him for doing that.” So, the fandom has been there. But what about the chemistry between Noah and Asafa?
Noah Lyles has a deep respect for the Jamaican legend
After the Paris Olympics last year, there was nothing but love and respect flying between two generations of sprinting greatness — Asafa Powell and Noah Lyles. On his YouTube channel The Powells, the former 100m world record holder didn’t hold back his admiration for the reigning world champion. Sitting beside his wife Alyshia, Asafa broke it down as only a seasoned pro could: “You guys cannot count out Noah Lyles because Noah feeds off people’s energy and speed,” he said. “If the race was 9.75, he would have run 9.75 as well. He runs as fast as the races. If you run 9.69, he is gonna run 9.69 with you. He is gonna feed off that energy. You can never count Noah Lyles out. He always backs up what he says.” Coming from a man who’s clocked more sub-10s than anyone in history, that kind of praise hits differently.
But Noah wasn’t about to let that kind of respect go unanswered. In an interview with The Final Leg, the American sprint star made it clear that the admiration goes both ways: “Truthfully? It’s crazy when I say this because he’s known as a choker, but it’s also powerful,” Noah said. “The man puts together perfect races. His execution of the start, his reaction times, his acceleration, his transition—smooth. It’s relaxed when he’s not under pressure. And he finishes. It never fails.” Talk about a nuanced take. Noah acknowledged the criticisms Asafa faced over the years — but also saw through them, recognizing the brilliance and technical mastery Powell brought to the track.
It’s not often you see that kind of layered, mutual respect between past and present stars in the sport. But this was different. This was a champion tipping his hat to another — across eras, across countries, across narratives. Ultimately, two men. One love: the track. And one message? Greatness recognizes greatness.
The post Unexpected Noah Lyles Behavior Shakes Up Things in Jamaican Legend’s Household as He Confirms After Track & Field Event appeared first on EssentiallySports.
