Noah Lyles Won His First Olympic Gold Medal in a Patriotic Manicure

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.

Noah Lyles before the start of the men’s 100m semifinal during the Athletics Competition at the Stade de France during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on August 4th, 2024 in Paris, France.Tim Clayton – Corbis/Getty Images

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.”