Noah Lyles continued to build his Olympic legacy Thursday, winning the bronze medal in the men's 200-meter final with a time of 19.70 seconds. The narrative of his medal quickly shifted gears, however, as Lyles collapsed in exhaustion after the race and received medical attention. He left the track in a wheelchair. Soon after, Lewis Johnson of NBC reported that Lyles tested positive for COVID two days ago.
Lyles did not violate any COVID protocols, which are much more relaxed than they were at the 2020 or 2022 Olympics.
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo upset Lyles in the race to win the gold medal with a time of 19.46 seconds. It was the first time in Olympic history in which a man from Africa won the 200-meter gold medal. American Kenny Bednarek won the silver medal.
Lyles's personal fastest time in the 200-meter race was 19.31 seconds heading into the Paris Olympics. He hit this time at the 2022 World Athletics Championship. Lyles also captured the bronze medal in the 200-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics.
LETSILE TEBOGO WINS THE MEN’S 200M FOR BOTSWANA! 🇧🇼 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/jL9jm4bTKZ
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024
After winning a gold medal in the 100-meter final in a fantastic photo finish, Lyles predicted that he would take home another gold medal in this race.
Lyles completed a personal record in the 100-meter race on Monday with a time of 9.79 seconds.
Lyles was scheduled to run in a 4x100m relay on Friday, but it is unclear if he will still participate.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Noah Lyles Captures Bronze Medal for Team USA in 200-Meter Final.
