Noah Lyles' fellow 200-meter medalists OK with him competing with COVID: 'I wouldn’t say we were at risk'
SAINT-DENIS, France — Letsile Tebogo suspected something was wrong with Noah Lyles even before the American revealed he had COVID.
The sprinter from Botswana couldn’t understand how he wasn’t feeling anywhere close to his best on Wednesday, yet convincingly beat Lyles in their semifinal heat.
“I had one of my worst days ever,” Tebogo said. “[That] showed me that he's not in his best shape. He's going through something.”
Shortly after Tebogo won the Olympic 200-meter final on Thursday night, he learned that his hunch about Lyles was correct. Lyles, after settling for a bronze medal behind Tebogo and fellow American Kenny Bednarek, revealed to reporters that he had tested positive for COVID on Tuesday morning but had decided to compete anyway.
Tebogo said he had no problem with a symptomatic Lyles choosing to run or embracing him and Bednarek after Thursday’s race to congratulate them. Tebogo noted that Lyles had worn a mask and sat by himself while in the call room before the race.
“Personally, I wouldn’t say we were at risk,” Tebogo said. “Because it’s not a contact sport.”
The reaction from Bednarek mirrored that of the gold medalist from Botswana. Bednarek said, “I don’t think I was put at risk at all.”
“Look, if I get sick, I’ll be fine,” Bednarek added. “I don’t view those things as a big deal.”
At 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Noah Lyles tested himself for COVID after waking up with a wicked sore throat, an aching body and the chills. When the test came back positive, Lyles, who won gold in the men's 100 on Sunday, said he quarantined in a hotel near the Olympic Village, took some medicine and tried to get as much rest and fluids as he could.
The idea of not competing in the 200 was never something Lyles seriously considered, especially after he managed to advance to the final by gutting out a second-place finish in his semifinal heat on Wednesday. Lyles explained that he “still wanted to run” and that doctors gave him permission to try.
“I was gonna compete regardless,” Lyles said. “If I didn’t make it to the finals, that would have been the sign.”
Lyles never looked like his usual self in Thursday’s final, the gap between him and the two leaders widening after they rounded the curve. His bronze medal time of 19.70 seconds was nearly four-tenths of a second shy of his personal best and even further away from the Usain Bolt world record that he had aspirations of breaking.
After Thursday’s final, Lyles said he felt “lightheaded” and experienced “shortness of breath” and “chest pain.” He sat on the track and received medical attention before being taken off the track in a wheelchair. In the bowels of Stade de France, Lyle's mother could be seen running down a hallway.
When he addressed reporters later, Lyles was wearing his mask again and feeling more like himself.
“He did his best while being sick,” Bednarek said. “I hope he gets better, that’s all I can really say.”
Yahoo Sports’ Henry Bushnell contributed reporting for this story.
