Noah Lyles has been dubbed the world's fastest anime fan for his love of Japanese pop culture and the US sprinter is in his element at the world championships in Tokyo.

The Olympic 100 metres champion grew up watching Japanese cartoons and he wasted no time in sharing his passion with the crowd in his first appearance on Saturday's opening day of the championships.

Lining up for the 100m heats, the exuberant Lyles thrust his hands forward, fingers splayed, and unleashed an imaginary "kamehamaha" energy ball attack in tribute to the Japanese anime "Dragon Ball".

After qualifying for the semi-finals with ease, the 28-year-old said he was energised by performing in the Japanese capital.

"I was gravitating towards it through anime," he said of his love of Japanese culture.

"Then you autom

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