Noah Lyles comes up short in Olympic men’s 200 meters while battling COVID
After a thrilling, historic victory in the men’s 100 meters earlier this week, Noah Lyles was diagnosed with COVID and finished third in the 200-meter final.
On Thursday night at the 2024 Summer Games, the American sprinter came up short in the 200, thereby ending his hopes for an Olympic sprint triple.
Letsile Tebogo of Botswana took gold in 19.46 seconds, with American Kenny Bednarek taking silver in 19.62 seconds. Lyles was third across the line in 19.70 seconds.
After the race Lyles, who has battled asthma, sat on the track winded and received medical treatment.
Medical personnel wheeled Noah Lyles down a hallway deep beneath the stands at Stade de France. As he was taken by wheelchair for examination, someone asked if he wanted to call his mother. He shook his head.
“I just needed some time,” he said. “So they wheeled me off the track. “
Immediately after the men’s Olympic 100 meters finished, another race started, among officials, that decided Noah Lyles had earned Paris gold.
A minute later, his mother rushed down the hallway after him.
NBC was the first to report his mother confirmed Lyles was diagnosed with COVID two days earlier but still was committed to running.
“I woke up in the middle of the night [Tuesday] just feeling really chills, aching, sore throat and those are kind of a lot of the symptoms I’ve always had right before getting COVID,” Lyles told reporters while wearing a mask after the race.
He said he moved to a hotel away from the Olympic village and took as much Paxlovid as allowed by international track rules.
Lyles said his team didn’t tell anyone about his illness, but took precautions to avoid spreading it. He said he felt better Thursday and entered the race at about 90% strength. He told NBC he never considered skipping the 200-meter final
“To be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything, coming out and getting the bronze medal,” he told reporters.
He isn’t the only athlete who has competed after testing positive for COVID in Paris.
The COVID safety restrictions that dramatically altered the Tokyo Olympics were abandoned for the Paris Olympics and mask use among athletes has been limited. There are no COVID testing requirements and the disease has been treated like any other respiratory illness. Olympic officials allow athletes and delegations to decide how to handle infections, urging those who feel ill to seek medical treatment. Isolation rooms for those who are ill are available at the Olympic village.
British swimmer Adam Peaty and Australian swimmers Lani Pallister and Zac Stubblety-Cook have all competed with COVID during the Paris Olympics.
Lyles chose to join them, lining up for the 200-meter final.
The last man to accomplish the Olympic triple Lyles sought was Usain Bolt, who did it twice, at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Lyles has another shot at gold in the 4x100 relay Friday, but he told NBC he was leaning against participating in the race.
“I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing,” Lyles said. “... You guys have more than enough speed to handle it and get the gold medal.”
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