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Noah Lyles explicitly detailed the circumstances that led to him competing in the Olympic 200m final despite having COVID and how he was in the best shape of his life in Paris.
Noah Lyles has faced online backlash and criticism since the Paris 2024 Olympic 200m final, where he unexpectedly succumbed to defeat with a bronze medal behind Botswana's Letsile Tobogo's dominant win.
When he crossed the finish line, the American speedster collapsed on the track and needed to be wheeled off in distress before the US Track and Field Federation revealed that Lyles had tested positive for COVID two days before the final.
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Most track fans and sports enthusiasts expectedly had a biased opinion of this statement as they believed he faked the whole situation even though Lyles had won the Olympic 100m final just two days before the start of the 200m event.
With controversies surrounding his health, he has opened up about when he got COVID at the Olympics.
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11:03 - 18.08.2024
Noah Lyles vs Tyreek Hill: World's fastest man responds to 'clout chasing' Miami Dolphins star on beating him in a race
Noah Lyles' response to Tyreek Hill on beating him in a race aligns that the Miami Dolphins star is just chasing clout and if serious, he should get in touch with his agent.
“Now looking back, there were signs on the day of the final of the 100m that this was taking too much energy to produce what I normally produce," said Lyles on the @NightcapShow_ with @ShannonSharpe and @ochocinco.
"I just threw it to the side. Then, I wake up the next day and it’s Monday now after the finals and I have a sore throat. I’m thinking, ‘OK. Maybe I just cheered a little too much. Maybe I was yelling a little too much.’ Even though I didn’t really feel like I was I just put it off to that because I had a job to do," he added.
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"It wasn’t until I woke up in the middle of the night on Tuesday morning and my body was aching. I’ve got chills. I’ve got a headache. My sinuses are running. My throat is super sore. I’m like, ‘Oh no. These are all the signs I get before I get COVID.’ I called up the doctors in that moment and said, ‘We need to test. We need to test now.’
“I had a plan before I got to the 200m and now my plan is out the window. Right now, I’m just trying to get as healthy as possible. They put me on the COVID medication…I’m trying to go through warmups and trying to get as normal as possible each round. I’m trying to throw away any negative thought that I have and keeping that confidence and that idea believing I’m in the shape of my life.”
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20:58 - 17.08.2024
Noah Lyles shares negative impacts of growing up in a 'cult' and how his mom 'still struggles to trust churches'
For the first time in his life, Noah Lyles opened up on his faith, religion, and how he grew up in a 'cult'.
Sharpe then asked if he considered pulling out of the race and he confirmed it was a consideration as the rules of competing with COVID had been changed since the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
“Yeah, that was a conversation. While I was getting tested, I was talking to the Team USA doctors and they were telling me what the rules are. They changed them from Tokyo. They said that anyone who has COVID is allowed to compete.
It’s up to the governing body of their sport or their country to decide how they want to handle the COVID situation."
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Lyles added that many athletes had COVID in the games village but never made it public and the controversy surrounding his situation was just because he's more famous.
"I’m just going to let you know, there were a lot of people in the village who had COVID that just didn’t say it. I’m just the most popular person who got COVID and actually said I had it. Because of that, it stirs up a lot of controversy in itself," he revealed.
"As soon as I heard I got COVID and I was able to compete, I said ‘I am going to try.’ I’m not promised tomorrow, so I’m going to take advantage of what I have today. The fact that I was able to get to the finals and still grab bronze, that was a medal I could’ve easily just said ‘Nah I got the gold, I’m good.’ No! I’m here now, I fought for this for 4 years. I trained for this for 4 years. Why not take the opportunity?,” he concluded.
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