Two watch parties have been organized in the city to witness the fastest man on the planet, Alexandria native Noah Lyles, race in the 100 meter and 200 meter finals in the Paris Olympics.
It’s the second consecutive Olympics that a watch party will be held at Alexandria City High School (ACHS). The 26-year-old Lyles graduated from ACHS in 2016, and won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in the 200m. He’s a three-time world champion in the race, winning in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
The watch party for the 100m final will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4 at Pork Barrel BBQ (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray.
“It’s incredible, and fills me with civic pride, to see a young Alexandria man compete on the world stage for the title of fastest man on the planet,” said Pork Barrel BBQ owner Bill Blackburn. “He deserves to be celebrated by our city, an ACPS graduate and an American hero, I plan to join friends and neighbors at Pork Barrel BBQ to cheer him to victory this Sunday.”
The watch party for the 200m final will be at ACHS on Thursday, Aug. 8, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Mayor Justin Wilson announced the watch party in his August newsletter.
“The waiting ends this weekend,” Wilson wrote. “Alexandria native Noah Lyles will hit the track in Paris taking on the best in the world and seeking to rewrite storied pages of the record books. A watch party (a partnership between ACPS and The Lyles Brothers Foundation) has been organized for the 200M final on Thursday August 8th from 1 PM until 3:30 PM at Alexandria City High School.”
