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American sprinter Noah Lyles didn’t get what he dreamed of in Thursday’s 200-meter race, but he wore his bronze medal with pride.
Lyles had won a bronze in the event in the Tokyo Games and was looking to win a gold medal at Paris.
But COVID-19 interfered.
On Tuesday, Lyles was diagnosed with the disease, but competed despite the disease after going into quarantine except for his appearance on the track, according to the Associated Press.
After the race, Lyles fell on his back and writhed on the ground as he tried to get his breath. After kneeling for about 30 seconds, he got into a wheelchair,
“It definitely was an effect,” Lyles said. “But I mean, to be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything for coming out and getting the bronze medal with COVID.”
He said that after his Tuesday diagnosis, “I still wanted to run. They said it was possible.”
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo won the race, with American Kenny Bednarek winning the silver medal.
Lyles said there was a strategy behind keeping his COVID status a secret.
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“We were trying to keep this as close to the chest as possible. You never want to tell your competitors you’re sick. Why would you give them an edge over you?” he said, according to NBC.
Lyles said following his finish, he was “quite lightheaded after that race, and shortness of breath and chest pain was definitely active.”
“But after a while, I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me. So I’m feeling a lot better now,” he said.
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
“I knew if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I had from the get-go. I didn’t have any time to save energy, so that was kind of the strategy for today,” he said.
Lyles said that he had “one shot,” and that “me and my therapist said this a one-and-done. You know, there’s, there’s no holding back.”
The virus could force Lyles from the 4×100-meter relay on Friday, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
“At the moment I don’t know, I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing,” he said. “They have proven they can handle it without me.”
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