Noah Lyles wins bronze in men's 200 meters despite having COVID-19
US' Noah Lyles reacts after competing in the men's 200m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. (Credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)
Noah Lyles placed third in the Olympic men's 200 meters Thursday, falling to Botswana's Letsile Tebogo.
After finishing the race, Lyles fell to his back and writhed in pain for about 30 seconds before he got back up. He then sat in a wheelchair and was carted off the track by medics.
Lyles wins bronze
Despite being sick, Lyles managed to win a bronze medal in Thursday’s 200-meter race.
He crossed the finish line at 19.70, which was nearly a quarter-second off from the gold-medal winner, Tebogo.
Lyles seen wearing a mask
A day before on Wednesday, Lyles was seen wearing a mask and NBC announced that the athlete had tested positive for COVID-19 two days earlier.
Lyles is also asthmatic.
He said he quickly got into quarantine after testing positive on Tuesday.
"I still wanted to run," he said. "They said it was possible."
How many medals has Lyles won so far?
So far, Lyles has won gold in the men's 100 meters and now bronze in the men's 200 meters.
What’s next?
Depending on his health, the 27-year-old now figures to turn his attention toward the men's 4x100-meter relay. Lyles did not run in the preliminaries on Thursday morning, likely to conserve any energy for the 200 meters.