Noah Lyles is basically a superhero. The sprinter has enough gold medals to his name to establish his own Bretton Woods system, and he just won another one at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris – in the men’s 100 meters.
But no matter, because our man has the real goal in mind: to leave all the running nonsense behind and get started with real Sport of Champions – League of Legends (via NME). Lyles mentioned his passion for League in a recent Twitter exchange. Spanish Olympic canoeist Pau Echaniz tweeted that he “wouldn’t get in a canoe until I got gold,” alongside a photo of the League customer on a gaming laptop, prominently placed next to his Paris bronze medal for the men’s single kayak.
I didn’t exactly come across a pirate who hit the gold price https://t.co/YvoGLWElM4 pic.twitter.com/NCNu7EtOD05 August 2024
Lyles was quick to respond: “After the 4x100m, I’m the battle leader,” the athlete tweeted. The game’s official account seized the opportunity and tweeted: “The fastest man in the world plays in the league… Rammus starring role confirmed.”
Is there a connection between LoL and athletic performance? Could I also reach my peak physical shape by playing a MOBA? The answer is of course yes.
This isn’t the first time Lyles has come out as a League player. Last year he showed off his League-themed gaming PC on YouTube, and he has a well-documented love for other nerd treasures like Yu-Gi-Oh and Dragonball Z.
Noah Lyles pulled out a Yu-Gi-Oh! card before his 100-meter race for the second day in a row. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/scKaCoBGgf24 June 2024
Which is great on one hand. It’s only natural that as video games become more ubiquitous – a key part of the childhoods of so many people who are now adults – they’ll become more popular with figures like Lyles and other athletes. On the other hand? I kind of liked it when the stereotype was that video game fans are all completely out of shape. It made me feel like I had an excuse.
Anyway, the bad news is that Lyles had to pull out of the 4x100m after coming down with Covid, which must be pretty devastating. I hope the silver lining is at least that he can resume his league career a little quicker. America wants its gold medals. What difference does it make if they’re on the track or in Summoner’s Rift?
