All About Noah Lyles’ Brother (and Fellow Track Star!) Josephus Lyles

Josephus Lyles may be Noah Lyles’ younger brother, but he’s a track star in his own right

Noah Lyles, an American sprinter and Olympic medalist, is often in the spotlight for his athletic achievements. However, his younger brother, Josephus Lyles, is also an accomplished athlete and sprinter.

Before finishing high school, Josephus had already won his first gold medal in the 4x400m relay at the IAAF World U20 Championships in 2014, and took home silver and bronze medals in the 400m and 200m races at the World Youth Championships in 2015. In 2022, he won a bronze medal in the 200m race at the NACAC Championships in Freeport, where he set a new personal best of 19.93 seconds, which put him in the top 100 of all time for the event.

The brothers signed eight-year contracts with Adidas in 2016, just weeks before they were expected to start classes at the University of Florida. Their decision was a joint one, with Josephus emphasizing the importance of their bond: “It’s pretty amazing to have someone who’s always going to have your back, who you can always count on,” the athlete told The Washington Post in 2016. “It makes it that much more meaningful that we could do this together.”

Here’s everything to know about Noah Lyles's brother, sprinter Josephus Lyles.

He and Noah are barely a year apart

Josephus and Noah were born exactly 369 days apart. Noah was born on July 18, 1997, while Josephus arrived on July 22, 1998.

The brothers were raised by dad Kevin Lyles and mom Keisha Caine Bishop, both former track and field stars. Their close age and track-oriented upbringing led to a mutually reinforcing interest in the sport.

“Me, my brother and dad just talked about track, numbers, people, records, all [that] stuff [for like] eight hours of driving,” Noah said on the Journey to Gold Zone podcast in March 2024. “It’s fun. You get to have somebody to always talk about it”.

He’s gifted in math and is a “student” of the sport

While Noah is open about his off-track passion for the arts, Josephus leans more towards the analytical side of the brain. He was doing third grade level math when he was 6, per The Washington Post, and meticulously studied race times and techniques to better understand the sport.

“My mom always says that when we were younger kids in school, I would always excel at school. I was very intelligent and picked up on traditional learning very well,” Josephus said in an interview with Olympics.com in March 2023.

In an interview with NBC the same month, Josephus said he’s a “student of the sport” and he “[studies] everybody.”

“Any good runner out there, I’ve probably watched their races.”

The first time he ran track, he “hated” it

Josephus first tried track in elementary school, running the 400m and 800m events. However, he found the experience to be grueling and quickly decided that he “hated it,” the athlete told NBC.

“I did not enjoy it at all, so I quit track around fifth or sixth grade.”

However, in eighth grade, he gave it another shot, this time influenced by his friends who were joining the team. The decision ultimately reignited his passion for the sport, and he began to excel, finding joy in the training and competition.

“I just started loving it. I don’t know what it was. ... But I remember falling in love with it and succeeding. I started to love the training aspect and the grind.”

He and Noah’s mom says they each show their “personality” in how they run

Keisha, a former track athlete, often remarks on how her sons display their personalities through their running styles. Noah, known for his creativity and flair, contrasts with Josephus’ straightforward and determined approach.

"If you know what you're looking for, you can see their personalities in the way they run," Keisha told The Washington Post in 2016. "Noah's creative, but he's cautious. Josephus, he just says, 'I'm going to give it all I got, and catch me if you can.' "

Other industry professionals have also noted the brothers’ individualities and how they’re both standout stars, separately.

“They’re two very distinct, different individuals,” University of Florida track and field coach Mike Holloway told The Washington Post. “I recruited Noah, and I recruited Josephus. I didn’t recruit the brothers together.”

He says medals aren’t important

When Josephus and Noah blazed the track and field circuit in high school, medals and prizes came with their burgeoning track careers. While most athletes keep the mementos of their accomplishments, Josephus told The Washington Post that the physical awards aren’t what motivates them.

“For us, it’s more about the record or the time,” the athlete said. “We don’t need a medal to know we did well. That’s not what pushes us.”

Ultimately, it's the intangible winnings that Josephus and his brother cherish the most.

In 2022, Josephus and Noah were inducted into their high school's Hall of Fame.

“Very honored,” Josephus wrote on Instagram. “This school and community has done so much for our family.”

He and Noah both went professional in 2016

In 2016, both Josephus and Noah made the bold decision to turn professional just weeks before they were set to start school at the University of Florida. Signing eight-year contracts with Adidas, the brothers became the first male sprinters to go pro straight from high school. Josephus signed the contract on his 18th birthday, marking the beginning of his professional career.

“We’re extremely excited,” Josephus told The Washington Post in 2016. “Just to be able to go on so far in our athletic career at such a young age — very few people have ever gone pro out of high school. It’s a blessing.”

One of the conditions for turning professional was that both brothers would sign with the same sponsor, and that whatever path they choose after high school, it’d be one they went down together.

“We’d been debating it, and we agreed early on, it’s either both of us go pro or we both go to college. We’re not going to split,” Josephus told The Washington Post in 2016. “So this was a joint decision.”

The brothers ultimately decided to forgo college altogether, but while they were still in the process of being recruited, Josephus, Noah and Keisha devised a 30-point questionnaire to assess every college coach that approached them, ultimately evaluating how well a school would fit to both the brothers’ needs. There were also automatic disqualifiers, such as mispronouncing Josephus (Jo-SEE-fis), per The Washington Post.

Noah was emotional when Josephus didn’t make it to the 2020 Olympics

The 2019 World Championships in Doha was a bittersweet moment for the Lyles family. While Noah excelled and made it on Team USA for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Josephus did not, a disappointment that deeply affected him. Noah was emotional about his brother’s absence, highlighting the close-knit relationship they share.

“I wanted to do this together. And it’s taken us so far, and I’m just like, you should be here,” Noah told TIME in 2021.

Josephus says he’s grateful for the hardships that have taught him valuable lessons

Josephus’ journey has not been without its challenges. He’s faced injuries and setbacks, including a significant quad injury right before turning professional. However, the hardships have taught him resilience and patience, shaping his outlook on life and competition.

“I know that whatever knocks me down, I can get back up. I can come back from that,” Josephus told NBC in 2023.

While his brother was at the 2019 World Championships, the separation was hard on both of them. For Josephus, he said the experience actually taught him a lot about perspective and acceptance.

“At one point, I felt like I deserved to be there because I’ve put in all the work,” the athlete told NBC. “I had to switch my mentality to ‘I don’t deserve anything.’ Once I started thinking like that, it was a weight off my shoulders. I wasn’t competing to prove myself. I didn’t need to show the world that I can run fast. I just decided to focus on running fast because I enjoy doing it.”

He says Noah has taught him about advocating for himself

Noah has been a significant influence on Josephus, particularly in teaching him the importance of self-advocacy. Josephus told NBC that he admires Noah’s determination to get what he needs to succeed, whether it’s training resources or support from their team.

“Noah is very good at listening to what he needs and making it happen,” he said. “A lot of athletes will need something and won’t ask for it thinking it’s not a reasonable request but that does not matter to Noah. Seeing that is inspiring and has definitely allowed me to have the same mentality and respect myself enough to say this is what I need.”

The athlete added that it’s made him realize that while sprinting is an individual sport, its “not just one person.”

“It’s a lot of people coming together to make that dream a reality,” he said.

He and Noah started their own nonprofit to help other athletes achieve their goals

Driven by a desire to give back, Josephus and Noah founded a nonprofit organization, The Lyles Foundation, in 2020, aimed at helping young athletes achieve their dreams. Their nonprofit focuses on providing training, mentorship and financial assistance to help the next generation of athletes reach their full potential.

"We know there are tons of kids out there and youths that are striving to achieve what me and my brother have done and just don't have the resources,” Noah told Sky Sports in October 2023. “We've always known that we wanted to give back to those communities, try to find those youth that can reach the top and give our insight, whether that's with mental health, nutrition or even being physical - getting them into sports, introducing them to the right people."

He watched Noah compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Josephus traveled to Paris to watch his brother win two medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Noah took home gold in the 100-meter final and bronze in the 200-meter final (after testing positive for COVID).

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