PARIS (AP) — Athletes at the Olympics are showering Noah Lyles with the first big taste of celebrity he's been working so hard to make his own.
Nearly a week into this brush with fame — at least inside the athletes village — he's not so sure he's loving the spotlight.
“I’m struggling with my mental,” Lyles conceded at the U.S. track and field team's news conference Monday. “I’ve become kind of popular at the village. Unfortunately, that comes with its own set of challenges.”
He's picking odd times to eat and stationing himself in remote corners of the dining area. He's having trouble getting a routine workout in, lest he get stopped by all the fencers, rowers, judokas and others who, to now, have only seen him on TV.
His major role in the Netflix track documentary “SPRINT” that dropped this month has certainly raised the profile of a sprinter whose three world championships last summer (100, 200 and 4x100 relay) set him on a path to stardom.
But while nobody in this sport has been more giving of his time, and his insight, in an effort to promote both himself and his sport, Lyles also has done a good job of separating his public and private time.
That's not as much in his control at the living quarters for some of the 14,000 athletes and sports officials who are camping out in Paris over these 17 days.
And to think, Lyles doesn't even race until Saturday.
“It has come with its own challenge of finding my own safe place,” he said. “I don't want to leave. But I feel like after these Olympics, I'm going to have to have conversations higher up than me in making that more available. ... I'm not even the most popular person in the village. I know I'm not the only one who's had to deal with situations like this."
Simone Biles and the U.S. gymnastics team are staying at the village. LeBron James and the U.S. men's basketball team are not.
Back in the day, another well-known sprinter, Usain Bolt, stayed in the village, famously saying he loved the round-the-clock McDonalds that was available and that mingling with other athletes, most of whom doubled as fans, put him at ease. In 2016, though, a concession was made and Bolt got his own room, as opposed to sharing.
“I do get nervous but when I get into the village it always goes away," he said back then.
Lyles has not been shy when it comes to talking about his need to stay on top of his mental and emotional health. He works with three therapists and has told stories about how the atmosphere three years ago at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, with no fans in the stands, impacted his performance.
“I just remember being so, ‘This is not it. This is not fun. This is not cool. This is not what I wanted. This is not what I thought it was going to feel like,’” he said of the moments before his 200-meter final in Tokyo, where he won the bronze medal. “And that's literally the last few thoughts I had going through my mind as I got into the blocks. And it sucked.”
Lyles hasn't lost a 200-meter race since, and has now become a threat in the 100, as well. He is one of the must-see athletes at the Olympic track meet.
“This is what I dream of, is these moments right here,” Lyles said. “I get more excited the bigger the crowd is.”
Unless that crowd is asking him for selfies while he's trying to eat breakfast, or to sign something while he's stretching.
“We still are human beings, and we still want to be able to have our space and our time,” Lyles said. “I want to enjoy the Olympics just like you guys are. Trying to find a safe place has been a little difficult these last few days as I'm trying to prepare and dive deep into my mental state.”
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Winner Noah Lyles celebrates after the Men's 100m final during the Diamond League London Athletics Meet in London, England, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
FILE - Noah Lyles, of the United States celebrates anchoring his team to gold in the Men's 4x100-meters relay final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Noah Lyles, right, of the United States poses for photos while traveling along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis,Pool)
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — As many in the entertainment industry navigate the devastating effects of the California wildfires, some will soon be decamping to cleaner air in the mountains. The annual Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday in Park City, Utah.
The 41st edition of Robert Redford’s brainchild will, as always, be a year of discovery and discussion. There are timely films:
— “Free Leonard Peltier,” which will premiere just days after former President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of the Indigenous activist nearly half a century after he was imprisoned for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.
— Oscar-winner Mstyslav Chernov’s“2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a joint production between The Associated Press and Frontline about an attempt to liberate an occupied territory in Ukraine
— Several films about trans rights including “Heightened Scrutiny,” about civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio. It's a topic even more pressing after President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday rolling back protections for transgender people.
There are even some controversies brewing: “The Stringer,” from documentary filmmaker Bao Nguyen, calls into question who took the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Napalm Girl” photograph. Retired AP photographer Nick Ut and the AP, which conducted a six-month investigation into the allegation, are contesting it vigorously and lawyers have asked for it to be pulled from the program.
“The film is an investigation,” said Eugene Hernandez, the director of the festival, who is moving forward with plans to screen it. “I think it will be a really important conversation that will come out over the next few days after the film is seen by more people.”
Don’t worry, it’s not all heavy. There’s drama of course, even a film about starting over after a fire (“Rebuilding,” with Josh O’Connor), horror, satire, literary adaptations, comedy, documentaries about famous faces, and some that simply defy categorization.
“There’s some really funny stuff in the program,” Hernandez said. One of those Hernandez cited is “Bubble & Squeak,” about a married couple accused of smuggling cabbages into a nation where they’re banned.
For first time filmmakers, Sundance can be their chance to break through in a big way. That happened last year for “Dìdi” filmmaker Sean Wang. Some films that debuted last January are still in the awards conversation, like “A Real Pain” and “A Different Man.” For actors, the festival is both a casual respite to awards season glitz (snow boots are more likely on red carpets than high heels) and can be a chance to show audiences a new dimension of their talent.
“It’s a strong year of renewal for our artist community,” Hernandez said. “And we have a lot of really great voices and stories that we get to unveil in the coming days.”
Here’s everything you need to know:
Sundance runs from Jan. 23 through Feb. 2. There are about 90 features premiering across the 11 days, with screenings starting early in the morning through midnight. Award-winners will be announced on Jan. 31.
Stars with films premiering include Jennifer Lopez, Benedict Cumberbatch, Diego Luna, Conan O’Brien, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Ayo Edebiri, Olivia Colman, André Holland, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, Bowen Yang, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Lily Gladstone, Dev Patel, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, Marlee Matlin, John Malkovich, Rose Byrne, Chloë Sevigny, Josh O’Connor, Ben Whishaw, Dylan O’Brien, Lili Reinhart and Willem Dafoe.
One of the greatest things about Sundance is that it’s often the under-the-radar movies that become the breakouts.
But some of the higher-profile premieres going into the festival include: Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider-Woman,” starring Lopez; Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)”; “Opus,” a horror about the cult of celebrity with Edebiri and John Malkovich; Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet,” with Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran; the war satire “Atropia,” with Alia Shawkat; “Pee-wee as Himself,” about the late Paul Reubens; “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore”; and Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman’s doc “The Alabama Solution,” about a cover-up in one of America’s most notorious prison systems.
Festival organizers have been in dialogue with filmmakers, staff, audiences and donors about the effects of the fires, supporting and accommodating where possible including pushing back deadlines to allow filmmakers more time to finish. The festival will also have a QR code displayed before screenings for information on sharing resources or contributing to relief efforts.
“As hard as the last week has been, this will be a moment to come together,” Hernandez said. “The community’s really responding to support those who need it most right now. I think that’s going to be a profound aspect of this year’s festival.”
For the most part, yes. Starting in 2027 the festival will no longer be primarily based in Park City. It may stay in Utah but would operate mainly out of Salt Lake City. Other finalists are Boulder, Colorado, and Cincinnati, Ohio. The Sundance Institute is expected to announce its final decision in the first quarter of 2025.
“Park City as the home of Sundance is such a special place,” Hernandez said. “I look at it optimistically because we have two more exciting years in this current configuration. I think we’re going to make the most of those two years and make them as memorable and meaningful as we can.”
Access to the movies premiering at Sundance doesn’t necessary require an expensive trip to Park City anymore. The festival has fully embraced an online component for many of their films.
What started as a necessary COVID-19 adjustment has become a vital part of the program. From Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, audiences can stream much of the program online. Prices start at $35 for a single film ticket and go up to $800 for unlimited access.
Otherwise, films that secure distribution can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a year to hit theaters or streaming services. Steven Soderbergh's “Presence,” which premiered last January, is just hitting theaters this week.
For more coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival
The marquee of the Egyptian Theatre is shown Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)