Noah Lyles sought to follow up his gold medal in the 100 meters with a matching one in the 200 meters. On Thursday, the favorite instead claimed the bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics, behind Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who won gold, and fellow American Kenny Bednarek, who garnered the silver.
Lyles, a 27-year-old from northern Virginia, was diagnosed with COVID just two days before the 200-meter final, a source close to the situation told The Associated Press. Lyles was seen almost immediately after the race asking for water and going down to one knee. He sat on the side of the track for an extended period of time as medical personnel attended to him. Photographs and video from after the event showed him being taken off the track in a wheelchair.
Lyles narrowly edged Kishane Thompson to capture the 100-meter gold on Sunday, besting the Jamaican by a mere five thousandths of a second. American Fred Kerley rounded out the medals in photo finish, with the top four finishers separated by just .04 seconds and the top seven just .09 — a literal blink of an eye.
Bednarek claimed the silver in the 200 meters in Tokyo but fell behind in the 100 meters in Paris, finishing seventh at the Stade de France.
Lyles also took home the bronze in the 200 meters in Tokyo. He added the 100-meter sprint for the Paris Games, which paid off earlier this week.
The 2024 Summer Games have been good for Team USA, which led the medal count in athletics — the track and field events — going into competition Friday: six gold, seven silver and six bronze.
