Reigning World Championships triple gold medalist Noah Lyles expressed his admiration for Jamaica and its vibrant track and field culture during a press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus on Friday. Lyles, who will be competing at the Racers Grand Prix at Kingston's National Stadium on Saturday night, shared how he is treated like a rock star in Jamaica and the influence his Jamaican girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, has had on him.
Lyles, who donned a full Jamaican-inspired Adidas kit at the press conference, highlighted the stark contrast between the reception he receives in Jamaica compared to the United States.
"Yeah, I'd say especially in the US, you have to pick and choose your places where you're going to run at. You know, if you go to Eugene, Oregon, of course, they're going to turn out a good crowd for Prefontaine and for US championships, but they're mostly a distance-involved love. Of course, they love all the events, but really distance.
"I'll go to New York, but all the other cities, it's like, 'Ah, you might get something good, you might not'. It's a coin flip, unless it's the Olympics. When you go to Jamaica, I tell everybody you're treated like a freaking rock star. It's nothing that you're gonna get anywhere else.
"Like all of a sudden, people know who you are and they're giving favours for you and they act like you're freaking Will Smith or something. I'm like, goodness gracious. Me and Junelle were here last year in October, late October, and we were just here for three days, and I went to the hotel and once they figured out who I was, and it was like, 'Oh, no, no, you can't stay in that room, you gotta stay in this room.' I'm just like, 'it's just three days.'
"It's like, 'no, no, no, no, you gotta stay here. You gotta stay here.' I'm just like, oh, wow. I'm not used to that treatment."
Lyles also spoke about the significant influence of his girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, on his style and connection to Jamaica. Bromfield, herself a notable athlete, encouraged Lyles to embrace the local culture through his attire.
"So, you know, my girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, she saw that the kit on the Adidas website probably about two, three weeks ago, and she was like, 'Oh, we all gotta get the kit. Cause, you know, she's gonna be here and my pops is probably gonna come down with her during Olympic trials just to have somebody close by. And she was like, 'We all gotta have our kits.' And she's like, 'Well, we should go down in matching gear, so I got mine.
"She doesn't like the media, so she's not here, so you can't see her physically, but she also has hers."
Lyles' presence at the Racers Grand Prix is highly anticipated, with fans eager to see him perform in the Jamaican capital. His enthusiasm and respect for Jamaican culture, coupled with his stellar track record, make him a standout figure in the athletics world. On Saturday night, he will line up in a quality field of sprinters that will include Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes and Jamaica's Oblique Seville, who will be making his 100m debut.
As Lyles prepares to take the track at Kingston's National Stadium, his embrace of Jamaican culture and his charismatic personality continue to endear him to fans both locally and internationally. The Racers Grand Prix promises to be an exciting event, with Lyles undoubtedly adding to the thrill and spectacle of the night.