American sprinter Noah Lyles came into Paris looking to pull off a feat only achieved by the greatest runners in history; win the 100-meter and 200-meter gold. Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis are the two most recent winners of the double and Lyles was off to a great start. After winning a historically close 100m dash, he came into his best event as the favorite. He came in a disappointing third place in the 200-meter run because of a COVID diagnosis. Now, Noah Lyles has declared his Olympics over.
First I want to thank God for getting me through this entire Olympics! Second I want to congratulate @tebogo_letsile_, @kenny_bednarek and everyone else on an amazing Olympic 200m final.” Lyles posted on Instagram. “Finally I want to thank everyone for the supportive messages. I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics. It is not the Olympic I dreamed of but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart. I hope everyone enjoyed the show.”
The announcement comes before he was scheduled to run in the 4x100m relay on Friday afternoon. The Americans qualified without Lyles, as he rested up for the 200m final. They will now have to win gold without the fastest man in the world.
Noah Lyles and Team USA having a successful Olympics
While it has a disappointing end, the Paris Olympics will go down as a successful meet for Noah Lyles. He became the first American to win the 100m race since 2004 and backed up a lot of talk in the process. While it could have gone down as one of the greatest Olympic performances ever, it still should be considered a success.
The Americans are having a great meet on the track so far. Heading into Friday's action, they lead with nine gold medals and 27 total medals. While the star was in the sprinting competitions, the distance runners have been a surprise for Team USA. Cole Hocker pulled off a massive comeback to win the 1500m race for America's fourth gold ever in the race.
They also grabbed a silver medal in the steeplechase thanks to a late-race push from Kendall Rooks. The US came in second at the 2016 Olympics as well. A win in the 400m and 110m hurdles round out the men's gold medals on the track so far.
While the 200m race on the men's side was disappointing, the Women's 200m was a coronation for one of America's best runners. Gabby Thomas was expected to win the race and she did, running it in 21.83 seconds. Team USA picked up two more medals in the 100m dash and another two in the 400m hurdles.
Friday features both 4x100m relays, the Women's 10000m race, and the men's 400m hurdle final. The Americans are competing in all of those races and looking to add to their medal count.
Follow Us
Subscribe