Noah Lyles was diagnosed with Covid just minutes after missing out on the 200m Olympics gold medal on Thursday evening. The USA star clinched a bronze medal, with Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo claiming the gold in sensational style.
Lyles was the overwhelming favourite to taste glory in the 200m showpiece event after winning the 100m final on Sunday evening.
But he appeared to be off the pace as Tebogo cruised to victory in a time of 19.46s ahead of second-place Kenny Bednarek, who clocked 19.62s.
Lyles, who took 19.70s to complete the sprint, hugged his compatriot Bednarek moments after the race had come to an end but was then taken away from the track in a wheelchair after appearing unwell.
And footage of the favourite preparing for the race while wearing a surgical face mask was subsequently released, with USA Track & Field soon confirming that Lyles had contracted the virus before he was due to compete.
Former Olympic 400m record holder Michael Johnson then questioned the 27-year-old’s decision to take his place on the start line at the Stade de France.
“Very bizarre. Covid is still a dangerous disease. Kenny Bednarek is a member of the 4x100m relay. It’s just bizarre. The whole thing is really weird,” Johnson told the BBC.
“There’s going to be all the Noah haters out there who say it’s not real and he’s faking it or whatever. Putting that aside, having Covid and still being out here in close proximity with other people – I know there’s probably not a policy at these Games for that but morally I’m not sure about it.”
Johnson had earlier speculated over whether the athlete had been fully fit as he explained: “He certainly isn’t carrying an injury because you can’t do this with an injury, you can’t run 19.70s.
“If there’s anything, there’s some sort of illness that has zapped his energy from the ability to actually carry that speed all the way through. [The medics] would’ve given him the OK to race, he’s probably not in danger of anything by racing other than being 100 per cent and able to perform the way that he would want to.”
Lyles impressed in a closely-contested 100m final at the weekend and took the gold despite recording the same time as silver-medallist Kishane Thompson.
And he is now set to receive a hefty boost to his net worth through prize money and sponsorship opportunities, with the sprinter getting his hands on £107,601 for the race victory alone.
“You couldn’t have asked for a bigger moment,” Lyles told the BBC after the 100m final. “I had to take every round as it was and I was a little upset after the first round, so I came with the aggression, and I ran 9.83s [in the semi-final]. I hope you guys like Noah because I’ve got a lot more coming.”
