There were surreal scenes at the Olympics on Thursday, as US Track and Field revealed that Noah Lyles has COVID after he struggled to third place in the 200m final in Paris.
After displaying an exuberant amount of confidence coming into the 200m final, American sprinter Lyles was forced to settle for bronze in the Stade de France on Thursday evening.
Lyles had won the 100m final on Sunday night in spectacular fashion, showing an immense burst of speed in the final 30 metres to pip Jamaica's Kishane Thompson to gold by just five-thousandths of a second.
The 27-year-old has been talking the talk during his time in Paris, following on from his notorious comments about the trend in American sports to declare domestic champions the "world champions."
His mega-confidence raised the level of intrigue ahead of Thursday's 200m final, with rumours circulating that Lyles was carrying an injury. Nonetheless, he bounced out of the tunnel and ran along waving to the crowds as the rest of the field patiently waited at their starting blocks.
Famously a finisher, Lyles got an uncharacteristically sharp start out of the blocks. The close to his race was also to be uncharacteristic.
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo would take a decisive victory for his country's first-ever Olympic medal (and gold at that), while Lyles faded in the final 50 metres to hand silver to his US teammate Kenneth Bednarek.
However, surreal scenes were to develop seconds after the race concluded, as the nature of Lyles' reported "injury" problems came to light.
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Noah Lyles COVID diagnosis revealed after 200m final
Shortly after the conclusion of the 200m final, US Track and Field confirmed that Noah Lyles was suffering from COVID-19.
Footage from inside the Stade de France showed the triple-Olympic-medallist struggling to get back on his feet after a gruelling race.
Footage would then emerge of Lyles pre-race, with his face covered by a mask. The American suffers from asthma.
Multiple media outlets would share confirmation from US Track and Field that the American sprinter had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Lyles was allegedly diagnosed with COVID two days ago, but decided he would attempt the 200m nonetheless.
In an utterly bizarre image, the 100m champion was wheeled away from the track in a wheelchair as he continued to struggle post-race.
After his bronze medal in the 200m, US Track and Field have confirmed Noah Lyles has Covid.#BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/X878I5dPW9
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 8, 2024
Though we were expecting drama in the 200m final, this was certainly not how we foresaw it playing out.
It is unclear whether Noah Lyles will recover in time to take any part in the 4x100m relay later this week, an event in which he and the US team won gold at last year's world championship.
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