Lyles shows J’can girlfriend support as he decries backlash she received from countrymen
KINGSTON, Jamaica — American sprinter Noah Lyles continues to show support for his Jamaican girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, especially after recent ‘hate’ she has received allegedly at the hands of her fellow Jamaicans.
In a post made to his official twitter page, Lyles, who won the 100m gold medal at the recently-concluded Paris Olympics by a dip, said he is impressed at how Bromfield has handled what he described as disrespect meted out by the quarter-miler’s own countrymen. His comments come nearly a month after Bromfield faced heavy criticism after Lyles revealed that he has been privy to inside information regarding Jamaican athletes.
In an interview back in July, Lyles spoke about his relationship with Bromfield and mentioned that he learnt a lot about Jamaican camps over the past five years.
“Junelle being Jamaican and having trained in MVP, I have been getting a lot of drama from the Jamaica camp for at least five years now,” he said. “There are a lot of times I make references about Jamaicans, but I am not trying to go back and forth, like I know information that other people don’t.”
After Lyles’ comments, fans on social media accused Bromfield of secretly giving inside information to her boyfriend.
However, Bromfield, told the Jamaica Observer while competing in Paris weeks ago, that she is not focusing on any negativity at the moment and was instead aiming to do her best for the country at the Games.
READ: Bromfield unfazed by social media backlash
Highlighting his girlfriend’s Olympic achievements, Lyles said he was proud of Bromfield and said he would be taking the time to “give her the flowers she deserves now.”
“She has been through so much in her life that I could never imagine fighting through. Beyond that she is a survivor, 2x Olympian, Olympic medalist, multi-world championship medalist, and has been representing Jamaica on the world stage since she was 8-years-old,” he shared, adding that he was particularly impressed by “how she’s dealt with the pure disrespect and hatred towards her from her own country.”
“This woman has been attacked by people who have never met her, heard her name before, never seen her smile, or heard what she believes in,” he said. “But she keeps moving forward knowing that God will always make a way. That’s why God keeps blessing her!”
In responding to her boyfriend’s post, Bromfield thanked Lyles for always supporting her through hard times, even while celebrating some of the happiest moments of his career.