Olympic Medalist Noah Lyles Speaks On Mental Health In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — When Noah Lyles decided to return to Alexandria, it wasn't to boast about his recent win in the 200 meters at the Prefontaine Classic or his bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Instead, he opened up about pressure and mental health during a community forum at Alexandria City High School on Tuesday.

Lyles, a 2016 graduate of Alexandria City High School, is a professional sprinter who qualified for his first Olympics this year. He recalls being in therapy for a long time, starting as an 8-year-old. But he started struggling with depression in 2020 as two major hurdles coincided.

The year started with excitement for Lyles as he prepared for the Olympics that summer. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything, including the Olympics, paused. Athletes like Lyles were ultimately faced with holding onto their energy and excitement until the Olympics the next year.

When the Black Lives Matter movement grew after the police-involved deaths of George Floyd and other Black people, it was a mental breaking point for Lyles.

"All of a sudden my mom started noticing that I was starting to act different," said Lyles. "I became a lot more aggressive, I didn't want to interact with people, I didn't want to hang out and didn't want to talk on the phone for very long."

Lyles continued to talk to his therapist, who suggested he start taking medication for depression. Lyles was initially opposed, believing he had handled pressure and anxiety well during his sports career.

Then his mom opened up about taking medication for depression for 20 years. She explained that the medication can help a person release hormones they can't create when affected by depression.

That reassured him to start medication. The effect of the medication was quick, with Lyles saying he felt like himself again.

Nevertheless, the Olympics in 2021 didn't come without pressure.

"A lot of people will look at the Olympics this year and be like, 'something was different with the athletes. You know, this didn't feel much different,'" said Lyles. "Well, it was a lot of difference because we had so much weight that we had to hold onto for about two years, and it made it that much harder to compete."

When training for the Olympics, Lyles noticed he wasn't running as fast as he used to in past years. He had a conversation with his therapist about his medication, which helped with "getting me out of the hole" but was now affecting his performance.

Lyles gradually came off the medication and noticed his performance slowly started to return. That coincided with the Olympic trials, which he called the "hardest six races I've ever run in my life."

With his family there as a support system and talks with his sports therapist, he gained his confidence back and made the U.S. Olympic team at the trials.

The Olympic experience in Tokyo was different. Not only was his family not there, but his therapists were at home with a significant time zone difference. He called the experience in Tokyo "very emotional" because his expectations differed from reality.

"I felt like I was alone. When I went to Tokyo, the results that I got were not what I wanted, and I was upset," he said.

After returning home, others encouraged him to keep running and participate in the Prefontaine Classic in August. At first, he didn't want to run at the meet, telling his mother he was emotionally drained and hurt from his third place Olympic finish.

"In that moment, I had to admit to myself that I was scared, and that's very hard because nobody wants to admit they're scared," said Lyles. "Now I can say I didn't like the outcome in Tokyo. I didn't like the medal that I got. I'm healthy though, and I'm in great shape. And now I have the opportunity to run without having to go through rounds. I can have my whole family there. I can have the lane that I want. I don't have to worry about anybody trying to do anything crazy. There's going to be fans, and I could just be me. Nobody cares if I win this race or not."

The decision to run in the Prefontaine Classic was a good one. The crowd helped boost his spirits, and he felt the most normal he had in a while. Not only did Lyles win the 200m with 19.52 seconds, but his brother, Josephus Lyles, recorded a personal best in third place at 20.03 seconds.

"In that moment, it was a very joyous occasion. I felt like I was back to my old self, and I definitely felt that these next few years, that competition is in trouble," said Lyles. "Because when you make me lose, I can go ahead and do the impossible."

From a Mother's Perspective

Lyles's mother, Keisha Caine Bishop, joined him onstage to take questions from the audience and give advice on mental health. Bishop, who was a 10-time All-American track and field star at Seton Hall University, is now the president of the Lyles Brothers Sports Foundation named for her sons. The foundation seeks to empower youth through several focuses, one of which is mental health.

"We are huge advocates for mental health, and we just want to get rid of the stigma," said Bishop.

Bishop told the audience the worst thing someone can do is question why a person is depressed. She said the term depression can be misused, since clinical depression involves the brain not absorbing a hormone the body needs.

Based on her personal experience, the duration of medication can vary for every person. She has been on medication for depression for over 20 years, while her son was on medication for eight months.

"I tried to come off medication, and my clinical depression is so bad that I couldn't even figure out how to brush my teeth, I couldn't answer the door, I couldn't figure out how to read," said Bishop. "I think what happened was, according to my therapist, was I was so much older when it was addressed, that the illness had gotten so bad that I needed to stay on it longer."

On the sports side, Bishop said adults need to stop pressuring kids about performance. At the end of her children's races, she asks them how they feel and what did they learn.

"The one thing that I've experienced and I that make sure Noah and Josephus experienced was to have fun," said Bishop. That's all I want you to do is have fun. I never put pressure on them to win. They put that pressure on themselves."

The pair also helped a few student athletes faced with the same pressures they've experienced as athletes. After one athlete asked what to do when track and field isn't fun for her and said her parents don't make it better, Lyles said it sounded like she faces a lot of pressure. Bishop challenged her to define success for herself, recalling advice she gave her son before the Olympic trials. That advice centered around the bad things kids growing up in disadvantaged communities may hear about their odds of success.

"It's not that bad to hear, what's bad is when you believe it," said Bishop. "So don't allow other people to define what success is for you. You write your story."