‘Fastest Man’ Noah Lyles Is an Athlete and a Geek

Noah Lyles can claim the title of fastest man in the world after winning the Olympics’ 100m dash at the Stade France on Sunday. He will also be able to claim the title of most famous anime fan – and certainly the fastest.

After a spectacularly close photo that saw Lyles take the gold, the 27-year-old Team USA runner – known for being a showman – made sure to dedicate some of his celebrations to his love of the Japanese animation genre popularly associated in the U.S. with nerds, pressing your wrists together to do the signature pose Goku’s Dragon Ball Z.

In the anime, the pose, known as Kamehameha, is an energy attack commonly used as the finishing move to finish off opponents. On the track, it’s a constant presence — along with several other references to his favorite anime — in Lyles’ repertoire of pre- and post-race routines.

“If you’ve ever wondered why I put my hands 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 and Dragon sphere creator Akira Toriyama. “This is the great effect that Akira Toriyama’s creation has had on my life.”

In addition to his athletic achievements, Lyles’ obsession with anime became a part of his personality that captivated audiences around the world.

See more information: Welcome to the Olympics by Noah Lyles

During the US Olympic Trials in June, in which Lyles won the 100m and 200m sprints, he was seen drawing Yu Gi Oh! cards under his bib before his races, showing off his collectibles to the camera – as part of a bet with shot putter Chase Ealey, an anime fan who wore narutoinspired leg weights.

And in 2019, Lyles dyed her hair silver before her 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 Washington Post stylistic choice. “I’m ready to go. I’m ready to join the team. I am at my highest.”

But Lyles is far from the only Olympian who has been spotted at the Games. During his debut at the Tokyo Olympics, the Greek long jumper Miltiádis Tentóglou he squatted and touched the ground with his fist in honor of Monkey D. Luffy, protagonist of the anime One piece. Italian hiker Massimo Stano and US shot putter Payton Otterdahl recreated in a similar way One piece poses in Tokyo.

Lyles, for his part, was always confident that he would perform seriously in Paris – just as much as he was sure that he would also bring levity and laughter to the Games.

“If you need someone to entertain you at these Olympics… I’ve got you,” he told TIME in May. “And I can promise that if you’re watching me, you won’t be bored.”