During the US Olympic Trials for Track and Field, US sprinter and current world champion Noah Lyles pulled out Yu-Gi-Oh! cards from his race suit before proceeding to beat his competition.
On Sunday (23 June), Lyles secured his spot at the Paris Olympic Games with ‘blessings’ from the iconic cards.
His unabashed love for the timeless anime earned him the adoration of Japanese netizens, who wondered what cards he would be pulling out next.
On the first day of the trials, Lyle surprised people when he pulled out a Yu-Gi-Oh! card from his race suit — ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, which is considered to be one of the most iconic cards from the series.
Source: NBC Sports on X
The surprise reveal became wildly popular on Japanese social media and was expectedly met with jokes and references to the series.
One commenter even called Lyle “the Kaiba Corporation’s strongest man” — referencing the conglomerate from the classic anime.
The world champion sprinter followed that up the following day with yet another card reveal.
This time, he pulled out one of the five Exodia cards, which the protagonist used to take down one of his biggest rivals.
A commenter quipped that summoning using cards is acceptable as it’s different from doping. They also wondered if Lyle would be bringing his cards along for the Olympics as they seemingly have had a positive impact on his performances.
Source: @Kleza_108 on X
According to USA Today, Lyle said the reason for his new and ongoing tradition is due to a bet with world champion shotputter Chase Ealey.
Bonding over their shared love for anime, the two made a bet where Lyle brings his Yu-Gi-Oh! cards with him to the race while Ealey wears the famous weights Rock Lee from Naruto wears during her finals.
Lyle is scheduled to run in the 200m trials later this week and Japanese fans and anime-lovers are already keeping a close eye on what cards he’d pull out next.
Also read: McDonald’s S’pore has Yu-Gi-Oh! & Hello Kitty crossover Happy Meal plush toys from 21 March
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Featured image adapted from NBC Sports on X and X.
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