Alexandria’s Lyles Takes Bronze in 200M, Tests Positive for COVID-19
Sprinter not sure he will participate in 4x100M relay
ALEXANDRIA, VA-The 200-meter sprint is Noah Lyles’ signature event. Yesterday in his semifinal heat in Saint-Denis, France, he finished second with a time of 20.08 seconds. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana finished first (19.96). The loss was Lyles’ first at that distance in three years. He took home bronze in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. So in these Paris games, he looked for redemption and gold. He won bronze and tested positive for COVID-19 instead.
Lyles entered the Stade de France in a flash, basking in the sudden noise. But for the entire race, he couldn’t seem to pick up speed, stuck in the middle of the field. Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek were out front the entire time. Tebogo (19.46) won gold, Bednarek (19.62) silver, and Lyles (19.70) bronze. Upon the race’s completion, the medical team tended to Lyles, who appeared out of breath and exhausted. He wore a mask in the tunnel prior to his entrance. Because of that and his unexpected third place finish, NBC’s commentators questioned his health.
The network said it had spoken with his mother who revealed her son tested postive with the illness two days ago. Lyles appeared on the broadcast and shared he was tested after not feeling well. He added that he never considered bowing out of today’s race, though he is not sure he will participate in the 4×100-meter relay tomorrow.
The last time an American man won both the 100-meter and 200-meter races was forty years ago at the Los Angeles Olympics. Carl Lewis will hold that distinction for at least another four years.
Out of the eight runners in the final, there were three Americans. Lyles was joined by teammates Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton. Three semifinal heats determined who advanced. Each had eight athletes. Those with the top two times in each race moved on, as well as the top two who had not already qualified.
Ahead of the race, the Alexandria native shared a message via NBC4 Washington for his hometown.“Hey Alexandria, I’m getting another one and we’re getting many more,” he said. “Thank you for all the support, I know you guys are going to be cheering. I can’t wait to see the video of the reactions.”
This past Sunday, Lyles won the 100-meter sprint by just five one-thousandths of a second in a photo finish.
UPDATE, 8:30 pm: The Washington Post has reported Lyles will not race in the 4x100m relay.
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