Who is Noah Lyles' father Kevin? Gold medalist sprinter gave up his dreams for his sons
Noah Lyles is making headlines as one of the stars of Team USA, and is favored to win gold in the 200-meter dash at Tokyo Olympics. But few know of the fact that his father was a pretty famous athlete back in his days.
Noah who currently holds the 300-meters indoor world best with a time of 31.87 seconds from the 2017 USA Indoor Championships, is the son of Kevin Lyles and Keisha Caine, both of whom competed in track and field at Seton Hall University. Not just that, Noah's sibling is 2014 World Junior Champion Josephus Lyles. Some of the other Olympic athletes making headlines this year include Naomi Osaka, Rebeca Andrade and Connor Fields.
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Who is Kevin Lyles?
From his Franklin High School days, Kevin Lyles played basketball and ran track where he broke 47 seconds in the 400 meters. Last month, in an interview with app.com, he explained why he chose Seton Hall. “I was at Franklin in 1989 when Seton Hall went to the (NCAA basketball) championship game, so that was all the big buzz,” he said. “In 1990 I went there for a basketball camp and fell in love with the school. I had aspirations of being a basketball player, but that was a pipe dream.” In the 1995 World Championships, he went on to earn a gold medal as part of the US 4x400.
In college, Kevin dated Keisha Caine, who was a two-time NCAA champion with the Pirate women’s 4x400. He also recounted how he lost the ring awarded to members of the Pirates’ 1993 team for winning the Big East indoor championship amid the chaos of parenting two small boys. “The kids were at that stage where they were throwing things away, throwing stuff in the toilet,” Kevin said. “Something happened and I think that’s how I lost my ring. It was on my dresser and then I couldn’t find it. When we moved from that house, I tore it up looking for that ring.”
Why Kevin Lyles' sprinter dreams took a back seat
As his sons grew up, Kevin's ambitions to become the world's best sprinter took a back seat. Currently, he lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and works as an analyst for Wells Fargo, “When they’re kids, you forget that as you get into trying to raise them,” Kevin said. “You don’t want to put that pressure on them. But to see it happen is amazing. Not every track couple has kids that do what they’re doing.” But as fate would have it, Kevin and Keisha's children chose the very profession that they were interested in.
Kevin and Keisha ended up divorcing in 2008, but Kevin was involved in his kids' lives, keeping close tabs on his sons’ progress. By eighth grade, “Josephus was like, ‘Dad, old man, I could beat you. You’re a has-been,’” Kevin said. “I was like, ‘What? OK, we’re going to race a 400 and I’m going to show you what it’s all about.'” But soon, Kevin has to admit that his son was a better athete than he ever was. “As I saw him destroy these kids I said, ‘You know what? I am a has-been,” he said.
Last year, Noah gifted his dad a replica of the 1993 Big East Championship ring after seeking out one of Kevin’s old Seton Hall teammates and borrowing the guy's ring. Kevin said that he was blown away by the gesture. “One of the best gifts ever,” he said.