Love for anime inspired 100m winner

It’s time to fight.

At least that’s the spirit embodied by Noah Lyles when he emerged victorious in the 100m at the United States Olympic track and field trials. Lyles, 26, has qualified for the Paris Olympics where he will have the chance to win the title of fastest man in the world.

His secret weapon? Collectible cards.

Yu Gi Oh! cards, to be exact. During two consecutive rounds leading up to his victory, Lyles pulled a Yu-Gi-Oh! card from his bib and showed it to the camera before the round.

Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join the USA TODAY Sports WhatsApp channel

What’s the story behind Lyles’ new tradition? And why Yu-Gi-Oh! cards?

What is Yu-Gi-Oh!?

Yu Gi Oh! is a collectible card game played all over the world. Its origins were a manga created by Kazuki Takahashi that tells the story of a teenager who comes to possess a magical relic from ancient Egypt containing the spirit of a 5,000-year-old pharaoh. Eventually, the card game depicted in the manga became so popular with Japanese readers that it was made into a physical trading card game in 1999. Yu-Gi-Oh! quickly spread around the world with the release of cards in North America in 2002, followed by dubbing of anime, films and video games that became extremely popular.

The card game, published by Konami, continues to release new cards and organize tournaments around the world. Games organized by two players are called “duels”. The game consists of three basic card types – monsters, spells and traps – and the basic objective is to reduce your opponent’s life points to zero. Each monster card has a unique attack and defense value, and many have powerful effects. The idea is to use your monsters to fight your opponent’s, dealing damage equal to the difference in attack value and opening the way for direct attacks. Spell cards can help fortify monsters and deplete your opponent’s resources, but some can also be used defensively. Trap cards can surprise your opponent and shift the momentum of a duel in your favor.

Yu Gi Oh! has introduced many new mechanics and monster card types over its 25-year history, making it a much more complex and strategic game than the original iteration. But the basic principles still apply.

Why did Lyles have Yu-Gi-Oh! cards at the US Olympic Trials?

Lyles said a running bet with world shot put champion Chase Ealey is the reason for his new tradition, and it has to do with the two athletes’ shared love of anime.

If Lyles continues to draw Yu-Gi-Oh! cards before the races, Ealey will carry the famous Rock Lee leg weights, inspired by the anime Naruto, during his finals.

“Me and Chase Ealey have something going on,” Lyles said. “She said if I pulled out Yu-Gi-Oh! cards every round, she’d wear Rock Lee’s weighted shoes and drop weights during her finals. So I have to keep my end of the bargain for her to live . to his part of the market.

What cards did Noah Lyles show during the US Olympic Trials?

On the first day of competition, Lyles pulled out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon monster card. Arguably the most iconic card in the franchise, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon has the highest attack value of any normal monster in the game and was the iconic monster used by the series’ anti-hero, Seto Kaiba.

The card has been printed countless times in many different rarities over the years, but the first edition of the card from 2002 is highly sought after by collectors and commands a high price. A listing on eBay has the card, graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA, priced at $150,000.

The second card Lyles showed was Exodia the Forbidden, a card arguably just as iconic as the blue-eyed white dragon and monster used to defeat Seto Kaiba by series protagonist Yugi Muto, who duels all by being possessed by the spirit of an Egyptian Pharaoh, in the anime’s pilot episode.

Exodia isn’t a powerful monster in terms of stats – it only has 1,000 attack points compared to Blue-Eyes’ 3,000 – but its effect is unstoppable if applied. If you hold Exodia in your hand along with the other four necessary pieces – the right leg, left leg, right arm, and right leg – you automatically win the duel.

First edition copies of this card can also fetch a tidy sum, but it is unlikely that these expensive versions were used by Lyles and stored in his bib.

“It depends on what version you want,” Lyles said of the cards. “Not all of them are expensive, some of them can be found for 15-30 dollars, others can easily be paid 500 dollars.”

What cards could Lyles pull next?

Lyles is scheduled to compete in the 200 on Thursday and is the heavy favorite for the event, so what a Yu-Gi-Oh! could he show next? The Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the Dark Wizard are intriguing options. They are both iconic cards used by Yugi Muto and other characters in the anime.

But what about Paris? If Lyles wanted to save the best for last, he could bring the legendary Egyptian god cards to the Olympics. All three cards – Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor, and Winged Dragon of Ra – are incredibly powerful effect monsters and play an important role in the events of the anime.