USA’s Noah Lyles: manga geek, alpha male and very, very fast
The world champion sprinter often comes across as a stereotypical arrogant American athlete. But he is also willing to show his vulnerable side
Before lining up for his opening 100m heat in June’s US Olympic trials, Noah Lyles made sure to milk his closeup on TV. But rather than pound his chest or point skyward or make some other peacock display of masculinity, the American sprinter did about the dorkiest thing possible: he pulled out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon Yu-Gi-Oh! card.
For the uninitiated: Yu-Gi-Oh! is a manga series that launched at the turn of the century, and, like Pokémon, it spawned a trading card game. A symbol of near invincibility, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is an ace in the hole that goes for big money on the collectors’ market. By playing his top trump, and so early in trials, Lyles didn’t just move the Yu-Gi-Oh! card market; he shouted to classic gamers the world over: I’m one of you. “My Yu-Gi-Oh loving kid went crazy when he saw this and knew exactly what card Lyles flashed!” wrote one X user. Added another: “Bro hella corny, but Blue-Eyes White Dragon is automatic respect.”