- Sprinter pulled out card during his audience introduction
- Track and field star is aiming for gold at upcoming Paris Olympics
- Stunt is part of wider bet with fellow athlete
US champion sprinter Noah Lyles caused a sensation at the US Olympic Trials – not just for his performances but also for going viral during his introduction to the crowd for the most unexpected reason.
Powerful card
As the camera panned to Lyles during the introductions, he pulled out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card from his racesuit, which will be familiar to anyone with a working knowledge of Yu-Gi-Oh, the popular animated show from Japan.
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon card is well known on the show – and the real-life card game – as it depicts a legendary and virtually invincible dragon and one of the most powerful cards that can be played.
Of course, this quickly went viral on the internet, with athletics and Yu-Gi-Oh fans going crazy for it. It appears to help Lyles too as he cruised through the round with a time of 9.92 seconds.
Friendly bet
But there is more to Lyles’ card-pulling stunts than just showing off his love for Japanese animated shows and their associated card games. It turns out he had a bet with US shot put champion Chase Jackson (nee Ealey). Apparently, Jackson loves Naruto, and, if Lyles pulled out Yu-Gi-Oh cards before every round of the US trials, she would wear Rock Lee leg weights in return during her finals.
The Olympics Games start in Paris on July 26 and Lyles will one of the favorites for the Blue-Riband 100 meters titles. He won the US trials with a time of 9.83 seconds and will be hoping to better his performance at the Tokyo Games in 2021 where he finished third.
