No Olympic sprint double for American Noah Lyles after COVID diagnosis

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SAINT-DENIS, France — The first shocker came when Noah Lyles, the fastest man on Earth, won bronze in his specialty event, the 200-meter. Then, moments after race on Thursday night, the other shoe dropped: Lyles said he’d tested positive for COVID two days earlier.

After crossing the finish line, Lyles looked ill, bent down to the ground, struggled to control his breath, and called for water. He was later seen rolling out in a wheelchair.

Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won gold with a time of 19.46 seconds. Kenneth Bednarek came in second place at 19.62 seconds for silver, ahead of his American teammate. Lyles' time was 19.70.

It wasn't revealed until after the race that Lyles -- fresh off winning the 100-meter sprint on Sunday -- had tested positive for COVID on Tuesday.

On the NBC broadcast after the race, Lyles appeared wearing a mask and confirmed the diagnosis.

"I woke up early, about 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning just feeling really horrible," he told the Olympics broadcaster. "Unfortunately, it came back that I was positive for COVID."

"My first thought was not to panic, you know, thinking I've been in worse situations — worse conditions, I've felt," he said.

Lyles later told reporters that he'd felt light-headed after crossing the finish.

“Shortness of breath, chest pain, but after a while I could catch my breath and get my wits about me. I’m a lot better now,” he said.

He said he was put on "as much medication as we legally could to make sure my body could keep the momentum going."

Despite his symptoms, he came out with his signature energetic showmanship after his introduction.

“I already had a bunch of energy,” he said. “This is by far the best day I’ve felt out of the last three days. Still not 100% but closer to 90 to 95%."

He said he never considered skipping out on the race.

"We quickly quarantined in a hotel nearby the (Olympic) Village," he said. "I still wanted to run, it was still possible.

"If I didn’t make it to the final, that would’ve been the sign not to compete."

He said COVID hurt his performance, but he's happy to have done as well as he did. "I’m more proud of myself than anything, coming out here to get a bronze with COVID.”

He said that, going into the race, his competitors didn’t know he had COVID.

“We were trying to keep this close to the chest," he said. "The people who knew were the medical staff, coach, my mom. We didn’t want everybody going into a panic, we wanted them to be able to compete. I’m competitive. Why would you give them an edge over you?”

USA Track & Field confirmed Lyles’ diagnosis in a statement to NPR after the race.

"In response, [the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee] and USATF swiftly enacted all necessary protocols to prioritize his health, the wellbeing of our team, and the safety of fellow competitors,” the organization said, adding that it has been following CDC guidelines to prevent the illness’ spread.

“Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete. After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.”

Lyles has one final event — the men's 4 x 100m relay on Friday — but said he hasn't decided yet whether he will stay in the race.

"I’m going to be very honest and transparent with the coaches, and I’ll let them make the decision," he said. "No matter what happens, this 4x100m team can handle everything. I’ve been with them in practice, I know they can come out with a win, break as many records as they put their mind to.”

Before the crowd of 80,000 at the Stade de France, the 27-year-old was hoping to go down in sprint double history -- aiming to be just the 10th man to win the 100- and 200- meter races in a single Summer Games.

Only nine men have pulled off the sprint double this before. One of those men — Jamaican Usain Bolt — did it at three straight Olympics. The last time an American managed the sprint double was Carl Lewis 40 years ago in 1984.

After winning his 100-meter race, Lyles posted a motivational message to his social media:

“I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression,” he said. “But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!”