'This is not the Olympics I dreamed of' - Noah Lyles reflects on 200m loss, congratulates Tebogo and Bednarek

Noah Lyles collapsed on the track after the Olympic 200m final

'This is not the Olympics I dreamed of' - Noah Lyles reflects on 200m loss, congratulates Tebogo and Bednarek

Funmilayo Fameso 00:50 - 09.08.2024

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.

Defeated Noah Lyles has blamed no one for his failure in the Olympic 200m final. Instead, he has congratulated Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek on their victories over him.

The American champion was stunned in the men's 200m final when Tebogo blazed to the title in a blazing new African Record (AR) of 19.46s, as Bednarek won the silver medal in 19.62s and Lyles settled for the bronze medal in 19.70s.

Noah Lyles was stunned in the Olympic 200m final losing to Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek

By doing this, 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.

Consequently, Lyles's loss in the event was his first in three years, with his last defeat ironically coming at Tokyo 2021 final, where he won the bronze medal.

Following his defeat in Paris, the US Track and Field confirmed that the newly crowned Olympic 100m champion tested positive for COVID two days before the race, which hampered his chances of competing at his maximum as he was still suffering from the illness.

With respect to this and his shortcoming, Lyles penned an emotional statement to shed more light on the situation and congratulate his rivals Tebogo and Bednarek.

"First I want to thank God for getting me through this entire Olympics! Second I want to congratulate @tebogo_letsile_ , @kenny_bednarek, and everyone else on an amazing Olympic 200m final," wrote Lyles in his statement on his Instagram page.

"Finally I want to thank everyone for the supportive messages. I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics. It is not the Olympic I dreamed of but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart.

"I hope everyone enjoyed the show. Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you? 😉

See you next time."

It remains uncertain if the speedster will be in the USA relay squad for the men's 4x100m final.

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