Noah Lyles won his first Olympic gold medal during the men’s 100 meter sprint on Sunday, but his patriotic nail art and sparkling chain-link necklace also garnered worldwide recognition.
While competing, Lyles caught the viewers’ attention with his jewelry choice. He wore a chain-link necklace made out of three different types of metal and covered in diamonds.
Noah Lyles
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Lyles had previously worn the same necklace during the 100-meter competition at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Lyles also became known for wearing eye-catching nail polish. He appeared at the Games with the word “Icon” splashed across his nails, and by Sunday, he brandished a new set featuring various motifs including stars, crosses and lightning bolts. Both looks incorporated the red, white and blue color scheme of the American flag.
Noah Lyles
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Noah Lyles
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Lyles previously had his nails done for the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, where he wore a metallic silver coat.
Noah Lyles during a press conference at the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 29.
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“You know, people like me because I do this,” Lyles wrote on X. “I’m just being myself.”
Noah Lyles at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials on June 23 in Eugene, Ore.
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The track and field star isn’t the only athlete with a manicure at the 2024 Paris Games: gymnasts Suni Lee, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, as well as sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson showed up at the Olympics with painted nails.
During his winning sprint, Lyles wore an Omega Speedmaster timepiece and Adidas Y-3 cleats. The sportswear brand’s sub-label is made in collaboration with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto.
Lyles crossed the finish line with a winning time of 9.79 (.784). The runners had to wait for a photo review moments after the race to discover who was taking home the gold medal. Lyles became the first American sprinter to win an Olympic gold medal in the men’s 100 since Justin Gatlin in the 2004 Athens Games.
Noah Lyles of Team United States crosses the finish line to win gold during the men’s 100 meters final.
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Following the match, Lyles expressed interest in having his own sneaker design.
“I want my own trainer. Ain’t no money in spikes,” he said in reference to his running shoes. “There’s money in sneakers and even Michael Johnson didn’t have his own sneaker.”
Johnson, a now retired Olympic sprinter, is the only athlete to win gold in both the 200 and 400 meter races at the same Games. He achieved this feat in Atlanta in 1996.
“I feel like, for how many medals we get, the notoriety we bring back, the fact that that hasn’t happened, that’s crazy to me,” Lyles continued.
