United States sprinter Noah Lyles made plenty of headlines after a thrilling 100-meter victory to capture the gold. Ahead of the 200-meter final, Lyles was expected to win the event once again. However, he finished in third place, earning the bronze medal, as Letsile Tebogo from Botswana got the gold.
After the race, Lyles was spotted in a wheelchair and was struggling to get off the track.
As it turns out, Lyles was dealing with COVID, per the NBC broadcast.
‘BREAKING: Noah Lyles was diagnosed with COVID-19 two days ago, per the NBC broadcast. Lyles was seen wearing a mask before the race today.'
It's quite the turn of events for Lyles, and even while dealing with Covid, he was able to earn the bronze medal in the 200 meter. Lyles' USA teammate Kenny Bednarek earned the silver, so American still got second and third in the race.
Noah Lyles' heroic effort
It has been quite the Olympics for Lyles, whose 100-meter gold medal victory was one of the closest finishes we have ever seen. Them days later, he gave it his all despite dealing with Covid and asthma and was so close to taking home another gold medal.
Per Lewis Johnson of NBC Sports, Lyles' mother confirmed he was diagnosed with Covid a couple of days ago, but the US sprinter decided to go ahead with the race regardless.
While some are questioning why Lyles was allowed to compete, a report from the Scientific American mentions the Paris Olympics allows those athletes with Covid to compete still:
‘The Paris Games also drop all previous COVID protocols, instead approaching the disease like other respiratory illnesses such as the common cold or the flu: officials now allow athletes and teams to determine for themselves how to prevent or respond to infection.'
It's a big turn of events for Noah Lyles and the Paris Olympics, but still a valiant effort by the US sprinter.
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