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Shannon Sharpe has jumped to Noah Lyles defence after it was confirmed he was suffering from COVID-19 before the 200m final.
American football legend Shannon Sharpe has come to the defence of sprinter Noah Lyles following his bronze medal finish in the 200m race at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Lyles, who had just claimed the Olympic gold in the 100m, was unable to match the pace of Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who won gold with a time of 19.46, and his US teammate Kenneth Bednarek, who took silver in 19.62.
Lyles’s appearance, on a wheelchair, after the race sparked concerns about his health, which he later addressed.
"I do have COVID," Lyles revealed. "I tested positive around 5am on Tuesday. I woke up feeling chills, aching, sore throat. Those were a lot of the symptoms I have had before getting COVID.
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Lyles, an overwhelming favorite before the race, ended up settling for bronze, having arrogantly stated no one would beat him before the race, and the fans have reacted to his performance.
"I was like: ‘I need to test this one.’ It came back positive, so we quickly quarantined in a hotel near the village and they got me on as much medication as they legally could to make sure my body was able to keep the momentum going.”
Sharpe, a Hall of Fame NFL tight end known for his candid commentary, empathised with Lyles, particularly regarding the challenges of competing while dealing with a respiratory illness.
"I understand COVID affects your ability to oxygenate. Bring in oxygen and get out carbon dioxide," Sharpe said on his Night Cap podcast. "We have all had upper respiratory issues and you know what it’s like when you have it. It is hard. I have tried to play football with that, and it ain’t easy. You can barely breathe."
Sharpe also analysed the race dynamics, pointing out that Lyles had to expend a lot of energy trying to keep up with Bednarek, who was in front of him.
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09:16 - 09.08.2024
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"Kenny Bednarek has run sub-19.6 and was directly in front of him, which is something to look at. I thought that was a lot of distance for Noah because you have to use a lot of energy, and yet Kenny has endurance and speed to hold it.”
Despite the focus on Lyles, Sharpe also praised Tebogo, the gold medallist, for his impressive performance. Tebogo, who holds the 300m world record, has demonstrated a rare combination of speed and endurance that Sharpe believes worked to his advantage.
"What gave me pause about whether Noah would pull this off is that I saw this young man [Tebogo] run low 44 in the 400, which tells me he is strong," he added.
"He ran 9.8 in the final, which tells me he is strong. Noah Lyles ran like a 19.50. He has been running 400m, building his strength up. Running 9.80 in the 100m final shows he has the footspeed to carry that and he is running.”
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Sharpe is optimistic about future matchups between Lyles and Tebogo, particularly if Lyles can regain full fitness. "Let’s say for the sake of argument that Noah Lyles is healthy and Tebogo is running like he did today. They would both be in the 19.3, and we will see something special.”
As Lyles continues to recover and prepare for future competitions, the potential rivalry between him and Tebogo is one to watch, with Sharpe predicting exciting races ahead.
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