High school runners from around the nation are headed to Greensboro, North Carolina this weekend, gearing up for the National Track and Field championships. Among those racing are two star athletes -- brothers -- from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
Noah and Josephus Lyles are a year and four days apart in age. But they're rarely more than a few feet from each other, both on and off the track.
"We live together, we sleep together, eat together, [we're] doing everything together," Josephus said. "We're like best friends and brothers and twins."
But Noah pointed out he's the older of the two.
As classes come to an end at T.C., the brothers, who are both rising seniors, are preparing for a busy summer of competition. Already they've earned high praise.
Last year, Noah won the 200-meter at the Youth Olympics in China. Josephus took gold in the 4X400 meters at the World Junior Champs.
Both brothers are also just back from a rare chance to compete in Havana, Cuba, where they ran in the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational. It's believed they're the first U.S. track and field team of any kind to compete on the island nation since 1997.
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Josephus said he was "just a little nervous going down there... I didn't know what to expect really."
They certainly didn't expect the warm welcome which included Cuban athletes waving the U.S. flag alongside the Cuban flag. And there was more.
"We went to the opening ceremonies and the Cuban choir sang their national anthem and then next they sung our national anthem...," Josephus said.
The four-day trip was more than just a competition. It brought the siblings a life experience that's reinforced at home.
"Our mom definitely is always trying to teach us life lessons," Noah said. "She's trying to give us life skills that we can develop not only on the track but also in life."
"How long are you riding this for?" News4 asked Josephus.
"Until I break the world record," he said.
"I'm going with Josephus," Noah added. "We're going to break world records."
The Lyles brothers are also raising money in hopes of competing in Colombia. They have a GoFundMe site here.
