Noah Lyles’s latest win comes with a salute to Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Standing in the blocks on the track Friday night in Monaco, as his name boomed over the Stade Louis II loudspeakers, Lyles tucked his chin to his chest and held his right fist, wrapped in a fingerless black glove, in the air.

Lyles, the reigning world champion in the 200 meters and a graduate of T.C. Williams High in Alexandria, has vowed to use his platform to draw attention to racial inequality and police brutality at home. Before a Diamond League meet, the biggest competition he has run since the novel coronavirus pandemic caused the postponement of the Olympics, Lyles began the race with a clear homage to Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

Lyles won in 19.76 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year but still a few ticks below his expectations. He blew past a field that included his brother, Josephus, a specialist in the 400 meters who finished second, his best showing since returning from injuries that had stalled his career for several months.

“We are at the point where you can’t do nothing anymore,” Lyles said Wednesday during a video conference call with reporters. “There aren’t any rules set out. You’re kind of just pushing the boundary as far as you can go. Some people have said, even if there were rules, they’re willing to go farther than that.”

The race provided Lyles, 23, the thrill of returning to the track and running alongside Josephus, his training partner and best friend. After the race, Lyles walked over to Josephus and placed his arm around him. Josephus finished in 20.30 seconds.

“We’ve done it so many times before,” Lyles said afterward in an interview broadcast on Olympic Channel. “It’s just been our first time being at a Diamond League, especially at the same event.”

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Under normal circumstances, 2020 may have been the year Lyles broke through from prominence within track to mainstream stardom. Having won world championships in the 200 and 4×100 relay in 2019, Lyles made it his goal to claim three gold medals in Tokyo. His talent mixed with his charisma and showmanship may have made him one of the Olympics’ brightest stars.

On Aug. 2, Lyles, who in the past had shared his work with a therapist, announced on Twitter he had recently started taking antidepressant medication. “That was one of the best decisions I have made in a while,” Lyles wrote. “Since then I have been able to think with out the dark undertone in mind of nothing matters. Thank you God for mental Health.”

The voluminous response Lyles received, which included a message from gymnast Laurie Hernandez, encouraged and surprised him. He heard from people, he said, who found his message inspirational and helpful in a time of need.

“I’ve probably dealt with it since I was 8 years old, all different forms in different stages of my life,” Lyles said. “It probably just got the worst around April, is the worst I ever had to deal with it. I think it was kind of more like the perfect storm — dealing with covid, having the Olympics postponed. So now you’re like, ‘Okay, where am I putting my attention?’

“And then the Black Lives movement, that was just like the final nail in the coffin, like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ My mom came down [to Florida, where Lyles lives] and was like, ‘I think it’s time to put you on medication.’ I was like, ‘Yeah,’ because everything I used to do that worked is not working anymore.”

In public, even when discussing weighty topics, Lyles retains the same wide-smiling, buoyant personality he has always shown. In training, he wanted to peak for Friday’s race, he said, treating it as a competitive highlight in an upside-down season. He did not reveal specific goals, but given that his personal best is 19.50, Michael Johnson’s American record of 19.32 is in play anytime Lyles sets foot on the track.

“I had big plans,” Lyles said. “Not all of them came true, but it was good to get back out here and especially be racing with my brother.”

Lyles did not set any records Friday, but he still delivered a message that may resonate off the track.

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