Noah Lyles is a huge anime fan. At the same time, he is the gold medal winner in the 100-meter race during the currently ongoing 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The American celebrates his victory with a pose from Dragon Ball, which almost all of you might know.
How did he celebrate his victory? When Noah Lyles won the gold medal in the event, he likely wanted to show the world that he has a weakness for Dragon Ball. He fired an imaginary Kamehameha at the camera, with his palms facing outwards.
In the anime, Son-Goku fires an energy beam using this technique. It is one of the most well-known techniques taught to him by his master Muten Roshi. Fortunately for Noah Lyles, only pure joy and no deadly energy beam comes out:
Lyles has shown several times in the past that he likes the anime. For instance, he dyed his hair silver to honor Son-Goku’s Ultra Instinct, during which his hair changes color (via The Washington Post). Additionally, before competitions, he raises his hands to prepare a Genkidama and gather energy (via X).
The anime will continue soon with Dragon Ball DAIMA:
This is Noah Lyles’ favorite anime
Has Noah Lyles done this with other animes? In the past, Noah Lyles has repeatedly pulled out a Yu-Gi-Oh! card before the start, which he believed would bring him luck. Among them is the legendary Exodia, whose body is split into several cards. This move has become his trademark.
For this Olympics, the American teamed up with rapper Snoop Dogg to present the valuable head of Exodia in a suitcase:
What actually is his favorite anime? Although he has shown several poses from Dragon Ball and Yu-Gi-Oh!, he has a completely different favorite anime. He revealed that his favorite anime is actually Full Metal Alchemist (via Olympics.com).
Since there are two versions of the anime, Lyles clarified that the remake Brotherhood is the version he usually watches. By the way, his favorite manga is Cage of Eden, one of the very first longer mangas ever.
It is not uncommon for athletes to use certain moves from animes. MeinMMO has selected five other poses that athletes around the world have used in their competitions. Included is also a German football player: One Piece in sports: 5 iconic moves from the anime that athletes have used to motivate themselves
