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The US track and field have attributed Noah Lyles's Olympic 200m Gold medal loss to Letsile Tebogo to one reason which he picked up two days before the final.
In the aftermath of Letsile Tebogo's historic feat of winning the Paris 2024 Olympic 200m gold medal against pre-race favourite Noah Lyles, reports have come in on why the American star lost the title in his trademark event.
Tebogo became Botswana and Africa's first Olympic champion in any 100m or 200m event, with a blazing run and African Record (AR) of 19.46s, far ahead of silver medallist Kenny Bednarek in 19.62s, while Lyles settled for the bronze medal in 19.70s.
By doing this, the 21-year-old rewrote history as the youngest to win the event and it became the first-ever gold medal for Botswana in the history of the Olympics.
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21:13 - 08.08.2024
'For you mum' - Letsile Tebogo dedicates historic Olympic 200m gold to late mother who passed away in May
Letsile Tebogo had only one mission in mind at Paris 2024 Olympics - win the Olympic 200m gold medal and dedicate it to his late mum. He did both conveniently in a historic way.
However, the US track and field have confirmed that Lyles wasn't 100% okay and is down with the illness COVID-19 and asthma. He tested positive two days ago and decided that he would run anyway.
After the race, Lyles was driven off in a wheelchair and couldn't have the usual medal-winning celebration as he was too weak to walk.
Reports of a suspected illness first surfaced after the 200m semifinals when Tebogo first defeated him in a race to book his spot in the final - Lyles's first defeat in the event in three years.
After the race, he didn't go through the mixed zone for interviews but instead, walked to the medical area to receive treatments. Following this, there were speculations he might not run the final, but his act of showing up anyway despite his illness and still ending up with a medal shows his competitive spirit.
Lyles was on a mission to win the Olympic sprint titles in Paris, thus replicating Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt as the only men in history to accomplish such a feat.
By winning the 100m gold against fierce Jamaican rival and world leader Kishane Thompson, he was on course to do that and remained the favourite to add a second title in his trademark event.
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03:47 - 05.08.2024
'I have Asthma and Depression' - Noah Lyles shares a powerful message after winning his first Olympic gold medal
Noah Lyles's path to Olympic success was a journey that needed him to overcome some medical challenges, which he shared in a powerful message.
Unfortunately with the turnout of events, he'll have to wait another four years to chase that dream in his home country in Los Angeles.
Not to take anything away from Tebogo, the Botswanan has been Lyles's biggest rival for two years and has worked hard to get to this stage. Alongside the American, they're unarguably the top names to challenge for Bolt's World Record of 19.19s in the future.
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