Many Dragon Ball fans believe that the purpose of Akira Toriyama’s series was to deliver some great characters who could fight till the end of the world. However, the real message that the mangaka wanted to share with Dragon Ball was that no matter what kind of situation arises before you, you should never give up.
He portrayed this message with the protagonist of his series, Son Goku. Goku has been a source of inspiration for many people. In fact, he has also inspired some of the greatest athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics 2024. One of them was the American track and field athlete, Noah Lyles, who recently won gold in the men’s 100-meter sprint.
Lyles’ gold was a big achievement for the athlete, as he not only won the hearts of millions but also got his revenge against one of his opponents. And after winning the race, he channeled his inner Goku and struck the iconic Kamehameha pose that is now gaining him the respect of every anime fan out there.
Noah Lyles Gets His Revenge on His Opponent
On day nine of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lyles won his first-ever gold in the men’s 100-meter sprint. His official time came out to be 9.79 seconds, a personal best, in the Sunday night competition at Stade de France. Although he had a slow start, he picked up his pace in the final few meters and claimed the victory for himself.
The victory felt even sweeter as Lyles was able to get his win over Jamaican Olympic athlete Oblique Seville, who beat him in the semi-finals by only 0.02 seconds. In the finals, Seville’s performance was not as good, as the athlete came in at eighth place with a record time of 9.91 seconds. However, this was not the first time that the two athletes were engaged in a battle.
In the Racers Grand Prix in June 2024, Seville beat Lyles with a timing that was .03 less than Lyles.
Oh yah… I’ll remember this!
See you in Paris @ObliqueSeville pic.twitter.com/cvOt5gktPG— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) June 2, 2024
This defeat motivated Lyles to take revenge against the Jamaican athlete, and he couldn’t have chosen a better ground to do so. His journey is nothing short of an inspiration to other athletes.
Noah Lyles Remembers Goku After His Hard-Earned Victory
After the sweet revenge that Lyles got on Seville, the American track and field athlete decided to make his victory even more iconic by remembering his inspiration from the anime world. Lyles decided to bring out his inner Goku as he fired a Kamehameha towards the crowd. The moment reflected his love for the series and Akira Toriyama.
Lyles dreams of becoming the first sprinter to win both the 100m and 200m events at the Olympics, challenging the title of the current fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt. However, there is still a lot to cover, as Bolt’s record is still quite far away from Lyles.
Nonetheless, his Kamehameha victory was noticed by Dragon Ball fans, and they decided to appreciate the athlete for his representation of the anime series on a global level.
He's sick with it 🦾 pic.twitter.com/4wpSUjhDa5
— Ron Oliver (@RPOIII) August 4, 2024
— Harley Anime✨ (@dbs_10_10) August 4, 2024
I love that I found out about this by my dad running in the house and saying a gold medalist was striking the pose my kids do all the time 🥲
— Kalyn Hawkins (@tyranasurswreck) August 5, 2024
This is where he should’ve pulled out all the pieces of exodia
— king (@Alskon13) August 4, 2024
— king_bash1 (@king_bash10) August 4, 2024
Nyles’ victory is the perfect representation of what Toriyama tried to portray with his series. The athletes chose the perfect moment to honor the mangaka and his series that has inspired millions and will continue to do so in the future.
You can watch the Dragon Ball series on Crunchyroll.
