Joe McConnell
Noah Lyles is reflecting on his family history.
The Olympic sprinter, who took home a gold and bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Games, spoke about his religious upbringing in an environment he described as a “cult.”
“I actually grew up in a cult,” he told Everyone wants to be us podcast with a laugh August 12. “Well, it wasn’t, era a cult, it just wasn’t at the level of, ‘Yeah, okay, we’re going to drink Kool-Aid.’ But it was super strict.”
The 27-year-old, who made headlines for winning a bronze medal in the 200 meters after testing positive for COVID, went on to describe some of the rules of the organization, which was not named.
“All the mothers had to homeschool their children and the father was the head of the household,” she explained. “The church told you who you could date and who you couldn’t. If you got married, it had to be through us, that kind of behavior.”
In the end, however, his family, including his parents Kevin Lyles AND actress—he decided to leave the environment.
