Noah Lyles leaves Olympics in wheelchair after brutal post-race admission as Usain Bolt feat stands

Noah Lyles has left the track in a wheelchair after falling shot of completing the 100m and 200m double at the Olympics in a feat no man has achieved since Usain Bolt. Lyles was the heavy favourite to win the 200m event, which has been his favourite having dominated the race since Bolt's retirement.

However, concerns grew for Lyles as he appeared in the warm-up area wearing a mask. And come race time, Lyles was well off his best time as Lestile Tebogo lived out a dream to win the 200m event and hand Botswana their first gold of the game. The 21-year-old ran an African record of 19.46 seconds, despite slowing down at the end of the race.

American Kenny Bednarek finished second with 19.70. Lyles ran in third, but fell to the floor shortly after the race as he appeared to be in some distress. Lyles was quickly attended to before he was taken off the track in a wheelchair.

Speaking to reporters, Lyles admitted he was unfortunately not well before the race and was struggling with his body due to Covid. “I’ve had better days,” Lyles said after the race. “I do have Covid. I tested positive around 5:00 am on Tuesday morning.

“I woke up in the middle of the night feeling chills, aching, sore throat, I knew it was more than just being sore from the 100. We woke up the doctors and we tested and unfortunately, it came up that I was positive for Covid.”

Tebogo's brilliant run means Bolt is still the last sprinter to complete the 100m and 200m double at the Olympics. Incredibly, Bolt achieved the feat in three consecutive Olympics. Despite not getting close to Bolt's world record, Tebogo did look across to see where his fellow runners were at the end of the 200m race. This was reminiscent of Bolt in his famous Olympics moment.

Noah Lyles all class after defeat at Olympics

Lyles won the 100m final at the Olympics, but was desperate to win the double to be put alongside the likes of Bolt. After winning the 100m, Lyles backed up his race claiming no one would chase him down in the 200m.

Although this was not the case with Lyles unable to chase down Tebogo. Regardless, he was full of praise for Tebogo for running a brilliant race after facing hardship in 2024. "I know you have had a very rough year off the track and despite that you overcome it all," Lyles wrote.

Following the race, Tebogo was overcome with emotion having claimed his coach gave him the confidence to go out and win gold. “It was really a beautiful race for me,” Tebogo said. “When we made it to the final, my coach just told me, ‘Now my job is done, it’s up to you to see what you can do. Whether it’s a medal or not, just finish the race healthy’.

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“That’s all I could’ve wished for. I’m happy I finished the race healthier than before.” Tebogo dedicated his gold to his late mother, Seratiwa, with his shoes carrying the date of her birth on them for the world to see.

“It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field,” he added. “It gives me a lot of motivation. She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy. I didn’t want to put the date of her death, because I’ll get emotional.”