Olympic Champion Noah Lyles Shows the World His Adorkable Side
Noah Lyles can claim the title of world’s fastest man after winning the Olympics 100-m dash at the Stade France on Sunday. He may also be able to claim the title of the most famous—and certainly the fastest—anime fan.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]After a spectacularly close photo-finish saw Lyles take gold, the 27-year-old Team USA runner—known to be a showman—made sure to dedicate a bit of his celebrations to his love for the genre of Japanese animation popularly associated in the U.S. with nerds, pressing his wrists together to strike the signature pose of Goku from Dragon Ball Z.
In the anime, the pose, known as the Kamehameha, is an energy attack commonly used as the ultimate move to finish off opponents. On the track, it’s a fixture—along with various other references to his favorite animes—in Lyles’ repertoire of pre- and post-race routines.
“If you ever wondered why I put my hands together stretched out in front of me it’s because Goku did,” he wrote on Instagram in March, in a post paying tribute to the late manga artist and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. “This is the great effect that the creation of Akira Toriyama has had on my life.”
On top of his athletic achievements, Lyles’ obsession with anime has become part of his persona that has captivated audiences across the globe.
Read More: Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
During the U.S. Olympic trials in June, at which Lyles won the 100-m and 200-m sprints, he was seen whipping out Yu Gi Oh! cards from under his bib before his races, flaunting his collectibles for the camera—as part of a bet with shot putter Chase Ealey, a fellow anime fan who wore Naruto-inspired leg weights.
And in 2019, Lyles dyed his hair silver ahead of his first appearance at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. “In Dragon Ball Z, Goku’s final stage, or form, is Ultra Instinct. His hair turns silver/gray,” he told the Washington Post of the stylistic choice. “I’m ready to go. I’m ready to make the team. I’m in my highest state.”
But Lyles is far from the only Olympian who has been spotted geeking out at the Games. During his introduction at the Tokyo Olympics, Greek long jumper Miltiádis Tentóglou squatted down and touched his fist to the ground in a tribute to Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of the anime One Piece. Italian race walker Massimo Stano and U.S. shot putter Payton Otterdahl similarly recreated One Piece poses in Tokyo.
Lyles, for his part, was always confident he would deliver a serious performance in Paris—as much as he was sure he’d also bring levity and laughter to the Games.
“If you need somebody to entertain you for this Olympics … I got you,” he told TIME in May. “And I can promise you, if you’re watching me, you will not be bored.”