‘I want that rock star effect’

“It was everything I could have ever dreamed of, as a culmination of everything I had worked for up to that point,” says Lyles, cheerfully speaking from Virginia, where he has moved from his hometown of Gainesville, Florida. The fastest man on planet Earth greets me with a warm “Blessed and Highly Favored” when asked how he is doing, the influence of his devout Christian upbringing, and it is clear that even with the benefit of three months of hindsight, the events of that memorable evening are still vivid. “Honestly, this is the hardest battle you’ve ever had to fight, and you prove that no matter the circumstances, you can emerge victorious.”

It helps that Lyles has some particularly stylistic armor that allows him to prepare for battle; because he is – perhaps more than any other athlete today – a fashion lover. “My style is rock star-track star,” he says proudly. “I like to be different, I like to be pop, I like to have some aspect of the outfit say, ‘Wow, okay, that guy kind of dazzles me.’ “I want that rock star effect.” He achieves it, and then some; Lyles’ aesthetic choices have made him one of the most distinctive athletes in recent years, thanks to the pearls he weaves through his hair and the daring nail polish – a white background with the letters I, C, O and N in blue on four fingers, for example.