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6 Medical Conditions Can’t Stop Noah Lyles
Welcome to 'Essentially Athletics', your front-row seat to the latest track & field news, insights, and analysis! - powered by EssentiallySports
📜 QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination.”
- Usain Bolt
👋 Hey Speedsters!
Well, the 2024 Paris Olympics may be over, but that doesn't mean you have to stop receiving the most interesting stories from the sporting world. It was your extremely positive response to one of our recent 'Track & Field' polls that made us come up with an all-new athletics-focused newsletter that will reach you three times a week with updates about your favorite athletes!
Today, we’ll be looking at a few different storylines that ended the Olympic Games, like... was that the right call for Shelby McEwen to go for a jump-off? We'll also ponder on whether Noah Lyles’ lifelong struggle against the greatest odds should be the exact thing preventing him from walking into the sunset right now. So let’s unravel all of these stories in the very first edition of Essentially Athletics!
US Pole Vaulter Confused With Fan’s Actions
Remember the thriller between Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim that unfolded three years ago in Tokyo? Well, the scenes that played out in the City of Love involving high jumpers Shelby McEwen of the US and New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr were the furthest thing from the spectacle that Japan witnessed at the last Games. Despite being given the option to share his medal, McEwen went for a jump-off with Kerr, after the two were tied at 2.36 m in the men’s high jump event. McEwen tried to make his triumphs more definitive but ended up having to swap his golden chance for a silver.
While many fans are definitely not on board with the American’s wit, pole vaulter Katie Moon thinks people need to make up their minds.
“We chose to share the gold last year, and we were called cowards, weak, etc. This year, an athlete chooses to jump off, and they’re shamed for it as well,” Moon shared her confusion on X. Moon shared her own gold medal with Australia’s Nina Kennedy at the World Championships last year, and fans weren’t exactly beaming back then either. Here is what Nina Kennedy had to say about the not-so-great reception from fans.
It wasn’t just Nina, though. Even Moon was met with jeers back home. “Unfortunately, many people didn’t seem to find it as awesome when Nina and I did it last year,” she wrote. Naturally, for the 33-year-old Ohio native, it’s baffling to see how fans are reacting to McEwen’s decision to not share his achievement and instead opt for the tie-breaker.
📊 POLL OF THE DAY
Should Noah Lyles Retire After the 2028 LA Olympics? |
Share your thoughts in the comment section, and your answer could be featured in our next newsletter!
🌟 ES EXCLUSIVE
6 Medical Conditions Can’t Stop Noah Lyles
It wasn’t quite the fairytale trip across the pond that Noah Lyles had expected. As he flew to Paris with dreams of hauling four gold medals, it turned out to be a much less illustrious affair than that. Lyles had to settle for only one gold and a bronze. He may not have been the fastest man in the men’s 200m dash, but he certainly had his reasons. Racing with COVID-19, Lyles still managed to cross the finishing line ahead of formidable track stars like Erriyon Knighton and Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh. The thought of Lyles putting himself and even his colleagues at risk irked a lot of fans in all four corners of the world. But Lyles wasn’t having any of it.
In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Lyles said going for gold is a desire that’s embedded into his mindset, and he wasn’t letting a snag get in the way. Since childhood, the Florida man had to jump over a long line of hurdles to reach where he is now. And now that the dream seemed within grips, Lyles didn’t want to let the chance slide.
“I feel that that’s been my whole life. Fighting despite of something. Going after a big goal despite of something. That’s been my whole life. You know, asthma, dyslexia, ADD, depression, anxiety. Those could all be individually reasons why I’d stop. And I’ve yet to see a reason why I should,” he told our correspondent.
While he was determined to prove his mettle to the world, Noah’s mom, Keisha Caine, was as anxious as a mother can be. “This was one of the scariest moments of my life! Watching my son hold his chest gasping for air while the stadium security refused to call a doctor as I begged them to send him help. They also refused to do anything to help. They totally ignored me! No parent should ever have to experience this feeling of helplessness!” she wrote on social media.
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16YO Quincy Wilson Gives Heartbreaking Update
While the track sensation overcame towering hurdles to bag his second medal at the 2024 Olympics, 16-year-old Quincy Wilson had his own battles to fight. The Bullis High lad has been breaking records without deliberation and was one of the biggest attractions of the Games. Lending his skills to the men’s 4x400m relay squad, Wilson joined hands with sprint celebrities like Rai Benjamin and Vernon Norwood to bring the USA gold in the event. And yet, TikTok seems to latch on to the idea that Quincy isn’t capable of handling grown-up stuff.
Despite being older than the minimum age required to have an account on the social media platform, Wilson faced unprecedented troubles when he tried to engage with fans on TikTok. However, it was thankfully just a small setback, considering Quincy’s lifelong dream of being a renowned athlete.
“7 years ago, I was at the Junior Olympics and won my first national championship in the 400! I told myself I wanted to become an Olympian,” wrote Quincy on X. While his cyber eligibility is up for debate, it’s apparent that Wilson is still the kid at heart, who’s having trouble coming to terms that he’s a newly crowned Olympic gold medalist. Referring to how things are still surreal, the sprinter has been pondering about what it would be like to go back to school after all that went down in the City of Love over the past two weeks.
Anthony Edwards’ Controversy Clouds Over Noah Lyles
Sadly, where there is controversy, there is Noah Lyles! Surely enough, the reigning men's 100m and 200m world champ makes a second appearance in our today’s newsletter. Not showing up at Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards’ show launch party, Lyles gave way to even more speculations after his possible retirement debate before the LA 2028 Olympics. With many fans positing that the track star might have sat out the Adidas event because he doesn’t hold a high enough opinion on Edwards’ talents, Noah is here to set the record straight.
“Here is a rumor going around that I did not go to @theantedwards_ shoe release because he didn’t deserve it. That is not the case. He definitely deserves his shoes he is an amazing player,” wrote Lyles on X after rumors kept doing the rounds across social media about his absence from the Olympic gold medalist basketball star’s special night.
However, Lyles was careful with his choice of words when he talked about his Team USA colleague, as he congratulated the latter on becoming an Olympic champ in Paris, after revealing that he had to skip the shoe launch due to having prior plans.
But is this an honest raising of a white flag as an attempt to put the raging NBA matter to bed? What do you reckon?
📝 STORIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS!
Sharing Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s ‘Crown’, Sha’Carri Richardson Makes Honest Confession About Her USA Track & Field Teammate - Full Story
Sha’Carri Richardson Caught With Rumored Boyfriend At USA Basketball Game After His Special Gift - Full Story
Calling Out Jamaica, Noah Lyles Lets Out His Final Thoughts on Kishane Thompson & Co. After Paris Olympics (Exclusive) - Full Story
“Don’t Care”: Kenny Bednarek Silences Noah Lyles & Co. With Bold Statement At Paris Olympics - Full Story
That’s it for today, folks! We’ll look to knock on your inbox tomorrow with more interesting stories!
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