100m World Champion Noah Lyles has drawn significant attention online after pulling out one ofYu-Gi-Oh!‘s most iconic cards, just moments before a competitive race.
Noah Lyles pulled out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon Yu-Gi-Oh! card for his 100m Olympic trial intropic.twitter.com/3ouE7Jmcjd
Obviously intended as a light-hearted stunt, Lyles’ choice to show the card has drawn significant praise from certain corners of the TCG’s fandom. In particular, his decision to usethe original Blue-Eyes cardart has led many to believe he is a longtime fan.
In response toNBC‘s post sharing the now-viral clip, many shared their thoughts. One said, “Pulling out a Yu Gi Oh card is an aura you just can’t manufacture. It comes from within. Inborn aura.”
Another added their belief that moments like this humanize athletes to the general public, saying, “Love it when athletes show a little bit of that inner nerd. I love those ‘press events’ they got in MMA and other combat sports where they will sometimes show up in Street Fighter cosplay. A little whimsy never kills your character if you carry it with confidence.”
A third simply expressed incredulity that he is allowed to carry the card into a race in the first place, saying, “Damn. You’re allowed to have a Yu-Gi-Oh in your pocket when you race? That’s a wild play. Hahaha”
Related:
Noah Lyles broke out a Yu-Gi-Oh! card for the second day in a row before his 100m race. 🫡pic.twitter.com/scKaCoBGgf
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what? The United States?” said Lyles.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love the US, at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.”
James Lynch is a Games Writer on Dexerto’s UK team, specializing in Destiny, World of Warcraft, Baldur’s Gate, Elden Ring, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Assassin’s Creed, strategy and RPG games. He also has bylines at CBR and GG Recon. You can contact him at: james.lynch@dexerto.com
