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Noah Lyles Wins Bronze After Testing Positive for COVID-19
The double medal winner said he was trying to keep the news "as close to the chest as possible" before requiring medical attention at the finish line.
It was a troubling sight when spectators watched Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles lie down on the track after his bronze-medal finish at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
On Thursday, August 8, 2024, Lyles competed in the 200-meter dash in what fans hoped would be his second gold medal win in the 2024 Games, poised to be the first U.S. man to win both the 200- and the 100-meter race since Carl Lewis accomplished that feat in 1984. Instead, he won bronze, made all the more impressive since he told reporters following the win that he tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday morning, USA Today reported.
Medical personnel were on standby soon after he laid down on the track, and he later had to be placed in a wheelchair while receiving medical attention before being wheeled away.
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It was Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo to take home gold and U.S. sprinter Kenny Bednarek who won silver.
Noah Lyles on his "one shot" to win
Following the competition, Lyles told reporters he only had “one shot” to win despite the COVID-19 test, according to NBC News. He conferred with those closest to him — including his relatives, coach, medical staff, and therapist — but said he didn’t want to give any room for his competitors to have an advantage.
“We were trying to keep this as close to the chest as possible,” Lyles told reporters while wearing a face mask. “You never want to tell your competitors you’re sick; why would you give them an edge over you?”
On Thursday, USA Track & Field told NBC News that Lyles chose to compete “after a thorough medical evaluation.”
“We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely,” said the sport’s governing body. “As an organization, we are rigorously adhering to the CDC, USOPC, and IOC guidelines for respiratory illness to prevent the spread of illness among team members, safeguarding their health and performance.”
Facing his third day following the diagnosis, Lyles said he was feeling “90 to 95 percent” back to normal. But at the finish line, he confessed to feeling “quite lightheaded” and experiencing “shortness of breath.”
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“But after a while, I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me,” he said. “So, I’m feeling a lot better now.”
Lyles has long been candid about having asthma, one of the many obstacles he has had to overcome to be designated the fastest man in the world following his gold medal win in the 100-meter, which he won by five-thousandths of a second, according to NBC News.
He addressed having asthma, along with allergies, dyslexia, anxiety, and depression, in a Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become,” he stated.
As far as racing with COVID-19, he told his therapist it would be a “one-and-done” event, according to NBC News.
“I knew if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I had from the get-go,” Lyles told reporters. "I didn’t have any time to save energy, so that was kind of the strategy for today.”
Is there a COVID outbreak at the Olympics?
Lyles isn’t the only Olympian who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Games. So far, more than 40 athletes have been infected, urging the W.H.O. (World Health Organization) to warn attendees to be more vigilant and precautious, according to France 24.
American doctor Maria Van Kerkhove, W.H.O.’s technical lead for the COVID-19 response, said the virus was “very much” present and “circulating in all countries.” According to her data, the contagious disease is twice as prevalent in Europe as elsewhere.
“It’s not surprising to see athletes being infected because, as I said before, the virus is circulating quite rampantly in other countries,” said Van Kerkhove.
British swimmer Adam Peaty missed the 4x100-meter medley relay heats following a silver medal win due to testing positive for COVID-19, according to BBC. Australian swimmer Lani Pallister also tested positive during the Games, forcing her to withdraw from the 1500-meter freestyle.
Lyles is the first-known U.S. Olympian to contract the virus. TODAY.com previously reported that of the 40 known cases, 16 were from Australia, while others came from within the Germany, Malta, and Great Britain teams.
Van Kerkhove states the rise of COVID-19 cases can be attributed to “an alarming decline in vaccine coverage, especially among health workers and people over 60,” according to the French outlet.
The 2024 Games were the first since the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 Tokyo Games for a year. The protocol is primarily at the discretion of individual teams and athletes and does not require regular testing. Positive tests also don’t preclude athletes from participation, according to Scientific American.
There are nearly 11,000 athletes participating in the 2024 Games.
