Letsil Tebogo of Botswana, Kenneth Bednarek of the United States and Noah Lyles of the United States run through the men’s 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Nord. Finish line, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Paris, August 8, 2024.
Ode Andersen | AFP | Getty Images
PARIS — Two days after Noah Lyles said he tested positive for the coronavirus, the American sprinter finished third in the 200-meter final at the Paris Olympics, unable to catch Botswana’s gold medalist Lacy. Letsile Tebogo.
Lyles won the bronze medal in 19.70, behind Tebogo’s 19.46, who won Botswana’s first ever gold medal. American Kenny Bednarek won the silver medal in 19.62.
Lyles said he moved into a hotel away from the Olympic Village to self-isolate after testing positive and wore a mask to warm up before Wednesday’s semifinals. He said he never considered not playing in Thursday’s final and deliberately withheld information about his diagnosis.
“You never want to tell your competition that you’re sick,” he said. “Why are you giving them an advantage over you?”
The 27-year-old Lyles was as energetic as ever when he was introduced before the final, jumping and sprinting around the track and then into his blocks as the packed Stade de France fell silent. Lyles came from behind from the start and didn’t look like the sprinter who was winning 26 consecutive races starting in 2021 until he finished second in Wednesday’s semifinals (also losing to Teton). Bogo) and has an all-time record of 38-5 against seven other sprinters heading into Thursday’s final.
At the finish line, Lyles collapsed, then gingerly stood up, asking for water as he sat back down on the track. He was loaded into a wheelchair and transported underneath the stadium. It was in stark contrast to Sunday night, when Lyles Won his first career Olympic gold medal He won the 100m by five thousandths of a second and then guaranteed victory in the 200m.
Noah Lyles of the United States reacts after competing in the men’s 200m final of track and field at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris on August 8, 2024.
Jewelry Samad | AFP | Getty Images
Lyles said testing positive for the coronavirus “definitely affected my performance.” “But I mean, honestly, getting a bronze medal with COVID in three days makes me prouder than anything. It’s been a crazy Olympics.”
USA Track and Field said in a statement that it and the U.S. Olympic Committee followed guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and the International Olympic Committee and “prioritized his health, the well-being of our team and the safety of other competitors.” .
“Our first commitment is to ensuring the safety of Team USA athletes while preserving their right to compete. After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah has elected to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to closely monitor his condition.”
Lyles is trying to become the first athlete to win both sprint events at the Olympics since Jamaica’s Usain Bolt in 2016, and the first since Carl Lewis 40 years ago. A sprint champion. Winning the bronze also ends Lyles’ controversial ambition to become the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals at a single Olympics since 1984.
He said he would let USA Track and Field decide whether he should compete on the U.S. 4×100-meter relay team, which advanced to Friday’s finals with the fastest time in preliminaries.
