Noah Lyles (Getty Images) PUNE: Noah Lyles is about split seconds. His sport is defined by the best edges and the man himself – the fastest in the world at the moment. In town as the brand ambassador for the Bajaj Pune Marathon, one glimpse of the Paris Olympic 100m champion is enough to feel the energy he carries. In a wide-ranging interview with TOI, the American sprinter tells us that he never liked going to school or college. But when he breaks down his races, he looks like a mathematician.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!excerpts:What are your first impressions of India?I’m pretty excited to be here. I have a very large social media following in India and for about two years I told my agent, “I have to make it”. This is the first time we have had the time or forced the time to finally come here.
Lionel Messi India trip: Mumbai in numbers for the superstar
What makes you so technically strong and the fastest nowadays?From the beginning, I have always been a student of what I do, how I run, what makes great athletes, what makes champions. I am extremely ambitious. It’s also about training smarter, not harder. A lot of people think that if they put in all the effort, they will get better. This is true to a certain extent, but it is much more effective to know why you are training.I learned why I need certain foods, what foods my body works best with, what massages work best when I need a chiropractor. These little details make me dangerous. I’m always looking for the weakest chink in the armor to patch up, to strengthen. As it grows stronger, I grow stronger.People talk about your speed, not so much your ‘racing IQ’. Are you making a decision in the middle of the race?Oh yeah, sure, especially at 200 meters. The 100m is something else. In 100 it’s about execution and maybe you get one chance to adjust. You can make two or three adjustments at 200m. The most common is when I exit a corner. I watch how much energy people use in the first 100 meters if they try to run away from me. They often don’t have enough left for the second half. I also analyze whether they transfer energy from the first hundred to the second.Very few athletes do it well — (Usain) Bolt, Justin (Gatlin), Johan (Blake), Tyson (Gay). I saw a little of this with one promising athlete, but I won’t name him. I don’t want to pressure him. I want him to find his own way.How do you handle the pressure with such subtle differences between success and failure?The pressure is definitely there, but I try not to make a big deal out of it. I do what I love. How many people can say they run for nine seconds and the whole world goes crazy? That’s a blessing.I don’t see pressure, I see opportunity. If it’s hard or challenging, fine. I don’t want it to be easy. If I wanted it easy, I’d get a factory job by pushing a button every day, but I’d be bored. I want challenges, I want goals. I want to shoot for the stars.You talked about going after Bolt’s times. What is more realistic now — 100m or 200m?200 m is the closest in sight. Running 19.31 seconds and the third fastest man makes it easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I see no reason not to keep pushing in both.
