The 2024 Paris Olympics is brimming with iconic nail looks, but Noah Lyles’ victory manicure just might be our favorite yet.
The Team USA track star won his first Olympic gold at the men’s 100m final and did so with painted nails, despite the criticism he received over his previous manicure. For the Opening Ceremony, Lyles’ nails were painted white with nail art spelling out the word “ICON” in blue.
Upon seeing his decorative nail design, the social media gender police went wild. While disappointing, it’s unfortunately unsurprising. But if the fastest man in the world can outrun anything, it’s bitter critics and antiquated gender norms.
In fact, it’s clear the 27-year-old pays the haters no mind. Lyles only leaned harder into what bothered them in the first place for the the men’s 100m final, where his manicure featured a nude base with red, white, and blue stars, lightning bolts, and crosses, while his pinkies and thumbs were painted blue and adorned with white stars.
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Fellow athlete Dwyane Wade, who previously played in the NBA for the Miami Heat, even came to Lyles’ defense. He shared the Olympic Games’ official X post with the caption: “And he got his nails painted Say something.”
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“I’m a person who knows that a lot of people have different opinions and they have them for different reasons,” Lyles told US Weekly when asked about the criticism. “To be honest, I’m so confident in myself that it doesn’t really matter. I think it’s funny at times.”
“Sometimes it’s like, ‘Hey, I know you were brought up this way, but I was brought up that way,’ and the fact that you can’t see the differences of why I might do it, I find that entertaining,” Lyles continued. “You know, people like me because I do this. I’m just being myself.”
Apparently, some of Lyles’ naysayers misconstrue his confidence for being conceited. “The most misunderstood thing is the balance between cocky and confident,” Lyles said. “There is a strong line that people assume my confidence is cockiness."
“I will say this: Anybody who thought I was cocky and met me, they’re instantly like, ‘Oh, that’s the nicest, coolest guy I’ve ever met in my life,” Lyles concluded. “I never blame anybody who thinks that I’m cocky. It’s just a ‘You haven’t met me situation.’ That’s all.”
Danielle Sinay is the associate beauty editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @daniellesinay.
