Noah Lyles suffered an upset in the 200 meters Thursday, settling for Olympic bronze for the second straight time in the event as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo won gold and American Kenny Bednarek got silver.
Lyles fell to his back after the loss and eventually sat up to be tended to by medics who rushed out onto the track. He was taken off the track in a wheelchair.
It was later revealed that Lyles had tested positive for COVID-19 two days prior to Thursday’s race, NBC sports reported. Lyles was seen wearing a protective mask prior to the event. Lyles has battled severe asthma in the past.
It’s the second straight Olympics the virus has played a major role in Lyles’ trip to the Games. He also won the bronze in the Tokyo Olympics, and he has said the empty stands and the year-long delay before the Games led to depression that hampered his performance and inspired his road to Paris.
Tebogo, 21, led wire-to-wire and won in 19.46 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in history. Bednarek, who also won silver in Tokyo, finished in 19.62, and Lyles, four nights after winning a close-as-can-be 100, ran the curve in 19.70.
Lyles had not been beaten in a 200 since that night in Tokyo, and after his win in the 100, he brought the bronze medal to the press conference, slammed it on the table and said that had been his motivation for three full years.
Now, he’ll get another one.
Thursday’s final marked the second straight night Tebogo beat him to the finish line in Lyles’ favorite race.
In the semifinal, Lyles finished second and skipped his traditional meeting with reporters to head to the medical tent. His coach said he was fine.
This time, Tebogo was leading as the sprinters reached the curve. That’s the time Lyles usually puts on his trademark close, but there was no strong finish.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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