Noah Lyles, Ray Benjamin.
Getty Images (2)Sometimes returning home from the Olympics can provide a real reality check.
In the case of Ray Benjamin — who won gold in the men’s 400-meter hurdles and the men’s 4×400-meter relay at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris earlier this month — it happened over lunch with another Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles.
After eating at burger joint Heavy Handed in Santa Monica, 27-year-old Benjamin explained in his Instagram stories that his meal included a portion of humble pie.
“Had dinner with this amazing random family from Canada,” Benjamin wrote on Wednesday, August 21, alongside a photo of three people sitting at a table. “They knew who (Noah) was. I was chopped liver unfortunately 😂😂😂😂.”
As the U.S. team tackles the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, American athletes have already made an impression at the Summer Games. The 2024 Olympic Games began on Friday, July 26, with a glittering opening ceremony held entirely outdoors on the Seine and featuring performances by artists such as Celine Dion and Lady (…).
Lyles, 27, couldn’t help but rejoice at the ordeal and shared Benjamin’s post with a crying laughing emoji in his own stories.
Since Lyles returned home from Paris – where he won gold in the men’s 100m and bronze in the 200m – the American sprinter has been a busy man on social media and elsewhere.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday, August 17, Lyles defended his girlfriend, Junelle Bromfieldwho represented Jamaica in the women’s 400 m and 4 x 400 m relay in Paris, was faced with “pure disrespect and hatred towards her from her own country”.
“This woman has been attacked by people who have never met her, never heard her name, never seen her smile or heard what she believes in,” continued Lyles, who has been dating Bromfield since 2022. “But she keeps going because she knows God will always find a way. That’s why God continues to bless her!”
Lyles also recently caused a stir when he admitted in a surprising interview that he “grew up in a cult.”
“It was a cult,” Lyles said on the podcast “Everybody Wants to Be Us.” “It just wasn’t on the level of, ‘Yeah, OK. We’ll drink the Kool-Aid.’ But it was super strict.”
Several stars have chosen to support the outstanding athletes competing in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Kelly Clarkson, along with Mike Tirico and Peyton Manning, covered the opening ceremony for NBC on July 26, which featured performances by stars such as Lady Gaga and Céline Dion. During Dion’s impressive performance, which distinguished her (…)
Although Lyles did not reveal the name of the organization his family belonged to, he did reveal further details about his upbringing.
“All the mothers had to homeschool their children and the father was the head of the family and the church told you who you could and couldn’t date,” he explained. “If you got married, it had to be through (them). That kind of behavior.”
In an exclusive interview with We weekly Before competing in Paris, Lyles acknowledged that his attitude sometimes doesn’t sit well with everyone – including some members of the U.S. basketball team and Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill. But he said that all is forgotten when you sit face to face with him.
“The most misunderstood balance is between cocky and confident,” Lyles said. “People assume my confidence is cockiness. Let me put it this way: Anyone who thought I was cocky and met me immediately said, ‘Oh, that’s the nicest, coolest guy I’ve ever met in my life.'”
