SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Noah Lyles lost the Olympic 200 meters Thursday, falling to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, then being tended to by medics who carted him off the track in a wheelchair. Later, wearing a mask, Lyles told reporters he had COVID but decided to compete anyway.
After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and writhed on the ground trying to catch his breath. He got to one knee and stayed there for nearly 30 seconds before getting up, asking for water and getting to the wheelchair.
“It definitely was an effect,” Lyles said. “But I mean, to be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything for coming out and getting the bronze medal with COVID.”
Lyles says he was diagnosed with COVID on Tuesday morning. He dealt with chills, aches and a sore throat. He says he was feeling better by the time he ran onto the track at Stade de France. Lyles estimates he was about 90-95 percent by the time the starting gun went off.
Lyles says he never thought of not competing, adding he hasn’t made up his mind on whether to race for the U.S. in the men’s 4×100 final scheduled for Friday.
After his positive test, Lyles said, he quickly got into quarantine.
“I still wanted to run,” he said. “They said it was possible.”
The U.S. track federation released a statement saying it and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee adhered to all Olympic and Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
“After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight,” the statement said. “We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.”
The men’s 4×100 relay is set for Friday, and Lyles was expected to run the anchor leg in what many thought would be a quest for a third gold medal in Paris. He said he would talk to his teammates and come to a decision.
“I want to be very honest and transparent, and I’m going to let them make the decision,” Lyles said.
In the 200, Tebogo, 21, led wire-to-wire and won in 19.46 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in history, but .15 slower than Lyles’ top time. Kenny Bednarek finished in 19.62 for his second straight silver, and Lyles ran the curve in 19.70.
The first sign something might be wrong came a night earlier when Lyles finished second in a lackluster semifinal, then left the track without talking to reporters to head to the medical tent. His coach said he was fine.
It became clear he was not when Tebogo and Bednarek reached the curve in the final.
Lyles was trailing as they headed into the homestretch, which is usually where he puts on a trademark closing finish that has always been the best part of a race that, before this week, he hadn’t lost since the third-place finish in Tokyo.
This time — nothing. Only a desperate push to the line then a collapse onto the purple track.
“To be honest, I knew if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I had from the get-go,” he said. “I didn’t have any time to save energy. So that was kind of the strategy for today.”
