USA sprinter and 100m gold medallist at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, Noah Lyles, was hit by Covid-19 as his bid to win another in the 200m, failed miserably. (Medal Table | Schedule & Results | Full Coverage)
The American, 27, had clinched the 100m title by five-thousandths of a second on Sunday, August 4.
However, four days later Lyles was taken off a wheelchair as Botswana's Lesile Tebogo clinched gold in the 200m race, as the American tested positive for the virus on Tuesday morning.
After the race, Lyles admitted that Covid "definitely affected my performance".
"I've had to take a lot of breaks," he added.
"I was coughing through the night. I'm more proud of myself than anything, coming out here to get a bronze with Covid.
"I was quite light-headed after that race. Shortness of breath, chest pain, but after a while I could catch my breath and get my wits about me. I'm a lot better now."
With the blessing of officials at USA Track and Field and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, who said they followed protocol and allowed Lyles to run.
He finished in 19.70. That was .39 off his personal-best, and .24 behind the 21-year-old Tebogo. Lyles’ U.S. teammate Kenny Bednarek finished second, marking the second straight Olympics in which he and Lyles finished 2-3.
Lyles was expected to run in the 4x100m and 4x400m relay races but in a post on social media, he wrote: "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,” he wrote. “I hope everyone enjoyed the show. Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you?”
(With AP inputs)
