PARIS — Noah Lyles didn't hesitate when asked what inspired his epic victory in Sunday night's impossibly close, impossibly dramatic Olympic men's 100 meters final.
The newly crowned world's fastest man rummaged in a bag and then displayed the Tokyo bronze medal that he packed before leaving for Paris last month.
“I was fueled as soon as I saw this in my hands,” Lyles said.
To Lyles, the medal is not a prize that he earned but a symbol of the lowest moment of his track and field career. He brought it with him to the Stade de France the past few days because the sight of it instantly motivates him.