Team USA sprinter Noah Lyles has said he did not consider giving up his 200m final place after contracting Covid at the 2024 Summer Olympics but has hinted that he may not run in Friday’s 4x100m relay final.
Lyles was surprisingly beaten into third by champion Letsile Tebogo and American Kenny Bednarek before leaving the Stade de France track in a wheelchair.
“I woke up at about 5am on Tuesday morning and was just feeling really horrible,” said Lyles, speaking to NBC while wearing a mask.
“I knew it was more than just feeling sore from the 100m. I woke up the doctors, we tested and unfortunately it came up that I was positive for Covid.”
After his bronze medal in the 200m, US Track and Field have confirmed Noah Lyles has Covid.#BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/X878I5dPW9
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 8, 2024
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Lyles: Covid ‘took toll’
“My first thought was not to panic,” Lyles recalled. “I was thinking that I’ve been in worse situations; I’ve run with worse conditions, I felt. We just took it day by day, trying to hydrate as much as possible and quarantining.
“We were just trying to quarantine as much as possible and stay away… [wanting] to give it my all. If I wasn’t to make it, somebody would have definitely taken my spot. That would have been my sign that I didn’t deserve to be in the final.”
When he was asked whether he would take part in the 4x100m decider, Lyles said he had not made a decision. “I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing,” he added.
“They’ve proven with great certainty that they can handle it without me. If that’s the case, coming off of today, then I’m perfectly fine saying ‘hey, you guys go and do your thing. You guys have more than enough speed to handle it and go and get the gold medal.'”
Noah Lyles after finishing third in the mens 200m final 😳 pic.twitter.com/TgewUWVGCh
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 8, 2024
Men’s 200m final bronze for Lyles
Lyles cut a far more satisfied figure than he did after the 2020 Olympics, when he also took bronze after struggling with injuries and mental health challenges.
The American record holder at 200m won a thrilling 100m final in Paris on Sunday, taking gold by five thousandths of a second.
“I’d definitely say it’s taken its toll, for sure,” he conceded of running with Covid. “But I’ve never been more proud of myself for being able to come out here and getting a bronze medal.
“At the last Olympics, I was very disappointed. This time, I couldn’t be more proud. “
