Fans and critics were concerned after gold medalist Noah Lyles fell short during the 200-meter final, a race he’s known to dominate. Lyles, who has been claiming to be the fastest man in the world, collected bronze in the final, and some are questioning if it has do to with COVID-19.
Lyles is fresh off a gold medal win for his 100-meter performance on Aug. 4. Just four days later, Lyles placed third after unexpectedly losing to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo. But what was even more shocking than Lyles’ loss was when the athlete was carted off by medical staff in a wheelchair following the race.
Sources confirmed to AP News that Lyles tested positive for COVID two days before the Thursday final. The virus, known to affect the respiratory system, was especially scary for Lyles, who has a history of asthma.
Immediately following news of Lyles’ diagnosis, X users began debating if COVID caused the athlete’s underperformance.
X user @marL0wE called Lyles a “Buffalo soldier” for continuing the race despite his condition.
Another user expressed their sympathies for Lyles as he continues to recover.
Coming into the Paris Olympics, Lyles held the top 200-meter time in the world this year at 19.53 seconds. At the semifinals, he ran a 20.08, and during the finals, Lyles stopped at 19.70 seconds. Even with COVID, Lyles managed to earn a medal, and X user @_Zeets said that makes Lyles’ performance especially impressive.
Used to making history, Lyles became the first American to win gold in 100-meters finals since 2004. The 27-year-old was set on becoming the first American to win the sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984, but for the second time in Lyles’ career, COVID prevailed.
Lyles went to Tokyo for the summer Olympics in 2020, during the height of the global pandemic. Although he won a bronze medal during the games, Lyles spoke about how the empty stands affected his mental health:
“I just remember being so [like] ‘this is not it,” Lyles said recalling his mindset before the 200-meter race. “‘This is not what I wanted. This is not what I thought it was gonna be like,’” he continued.
Despite his COVID diagnosis this time around, Lyles was determined to still hit the track. “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 told reporters after the race. “This is by far the best day I felt out of the last three days. I still wouldn’t say I’m 100% but I would definitely say I’m closer to like, 90 to 95%.”
