Two days after testing positive for COVID, Noah Lyles earned an Olympic bronze medal in the men’s 200 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Lewis Johnson of NBC reported Lyles’s diagnosis on the television broadcast. Lyles later confirmed the news in an interview with Johnson.
Hours after winning Olympic gold in the men’s 100 meters, the U.S. record-holder said he woke up at 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning and felt “horrible,” before meeting with doctors and testing positive for COVID.
“My first thought was not to panic and I was thinking, you know, I’ve been in worse situations and I’ve run with worse conditions,” Lyles said. “We just took it day-by-day trying to hydrate, quarantined off and it’s taking its toll for sure, but I’ve never been more proud of myself for coming out here and getting a bronze medal.”
Lyles is also in the relay pool for Team USA, but was unsure about his availability for the race. “At the moment, I don’t know. I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing,” he said. “You know, they’ve proven with great certainty they can handle it without me, and if that’s the case coming up today, then I’m perfectly fine saying, hey, you guys go do your thing.”
Lyles, who admitted the virus affected his performance, wasn’t able to match the closing speed of Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and American teammate Kenny Bednarek, who collected 200 Olympic gold in 19.46 seconds and silver in 19.62, respectively. Lyles crossed the line third in 19.70 seconds at Stade de France
The three-time world champion repeated as an Olympic bronze medalist three years after making his Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Lyles is among several athletes who have competed with COVID at the Paris Games. In 2021, the Tokyo Olympic Games were delayed by a year because of the global pandemic and the Games were mostly held without spectators in the stadiums.
Lyles flew through the first-round heats of the 200 meters in 20.19 on August 5. But he didn’t appear as dominant in the semifinal when Tebogo handed him a surprising loss. It was the first time in three years Lyles lost a race in the half-lap distance.
Tebogo is the first African man to win the event. The 21-year-old was sixth in the 100 meters on August 4. Last year, he earned silver in the 100 meters and bronze in the 200 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
