What happened
American sprinter Noah Lyles finished third in the men’s 200 meters at the Paris Olympics, dashing expectations that he would add a second gold after his thrilling photo-finish win in the 100 meter sprint just days before. Then he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, and left the track in a wheelchair. Lyles later said he tested positive for Covid-19. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo won the race and his country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal.
Who said what
The virus “definitely affected my performance,” Lyles said, but “to be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything for coming out and getting the bronze medal with Covid.”
“We’re left to wonder whether a healthy Lyles” would have won gold in both the 100 and 200, elevating him to a “track deity” alongside Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt, Jerry Brewer said at The Washington Post. Instead of becoming a “legend,” Lyles “became a throwback to a time we’ve quickly forgotten.”
What next?
“I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics,” Lyles said on Instagram, suggesting he won’t run either the 4×100 relay or the 4×400. His premature exit “struck a sobering chord at a revitalized Olympics that were supposed to be all about the return of fans,” The Associated Press said, reminding us “there will never be a ‘post-Covid’ Games.”
American sprinter Noah Lyles collapsed after his race and later revealed he had tested positive for Covid