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Noah Lyles has withdrawn from the Paris 2024 Olympics following COVID positive test and has detailed the reasons he still decided to race the 200m final.
Noah Lyles has ended his Paris 2024 Olympics journey after positive test for COVID and revealed why he decided to still race the 200m final.
Botswana speed king Letsile Tebogo stunned Lyles to the Olympic 200m gold medal in a blazing new African Record (AR) of 19.46s, as Kenny Bednarek won silver in 19.62s and Lyles settled for the bronze medal in 19.70s.
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With his triumphant success, Tebogo became the first man from Africa to win an Olympic 200m title and a gold medal from his country, thus cementing his name as the greatest African sprinter to run the event in history.
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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.
Sadly after the race, it was confirmed by the US Track and Field that Lyles tested positive for COVID two days before the final race, which could have been a huge factor in his first 200m loss in three years.
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22:11 - 08.08.2024
Explained: Why Noah Lyles lost Olympic 200m GOLD to Letsile Tebogo despite being the favourite to win
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.
“This is by far the best I’ve felt out of the last 3 days. I still wouldn’t say I’m 100%, but I’d definitely say I’m closer to 90-95%. Honestly, that only works for one shot, I only have one load to blow and then I gotta settle down for a while," said Lyles in an interview with reporters on the decision to race the 200m final despite being ill.
When asked if he thought of not competing, he said: “No, I was gonna compete regardless. If I didn’t make it to the finals, that would’ve been the sign not to.”
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00:50 - 09.08.2024
'This is not the Olympics I dreamed of' - Noah Lyles reflects on 200m loss, congratulates Tebogo and Bednarek
With an unexpected defeat in the men's 200m final at Paris 2024 Olympics, Noah Lyles had little yet so much to say reflecting on his loss to Letsile Tebogo.
Before the 200m final, Lyles was the overwhelming favourite to claim his first Olympic title in the event after winning the 100m gold medal in a new lifetime best of 9.79s.
He was poised to add another gold medal and become the third male sprinter in history to accomplish the rare feat of claiming Olympic sprint titles. However, the COVID derailed his dreams and confirmed that it did affect his performance.
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“It definitely affected my performance, I’ve had to take a lot of breaks. Junelle [his girlfriend] was saying I was coughing through the night last night. I thought I had a good night’s sleep, but she said she had to keep moving me throughout the night to make sure I would stop coughing. It definitely was an effect, but to be honest I’m more proud of myself than anything,” he said.
With the 4x100m finals still on the table to run for another gold medal, Lyles said he isn't sure of his participation and will later put out a statement that he's ending his Olympic journey in Paris.
“I’ll talk to the coaches and I’ll be very honest and transparent with them. I’m gonna let them make the decision. I think no matter what happens this 4x100m team can handle anything and everything. I’ve been with them in practice, they are more than capable to come out with the win and even break as many records as they set their mind to.”
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23:56 - 08.08.2024
'I'm not as arrogant or loud as Noah' - Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo trolls Lyles with 'face of athletics' bragging claim
Letsile Tebogo didn't hold back on trolling Noah Lyles after being asked who he thinks is the 'face of athletics'.
Finally, Lyles said none of his teammates knew about his illness and a joint decision with his team decided to keep it private until after the race.
“No, we were trying to keep this close to the chest. Most of the people that knew were the medical staff, my coach, my mom, my family, we were trying to keep it as close to the chest as possible.”
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