It wasn’t Noah Lyles’ night.

The American sprint favorite simply could not summon his feared closing speed in the 200 meters at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.

But Letsile Tebogo of Botswana could, winning gold in 19.46 seconds. American Kenny Bednarek (19.62) won silver, and Lyles (19.70) settled for bronze for the second straight Olympics.

Lyles had faced daunting history.

Just nine men, including Jamaica’s Usain Bolt on three occasions — 2008, 2012 and 2016 — had completed the 100-200 double at the Olympics.

The last American to accomplish the feat was Carl Lewis in 1984.

The 200 is Lyles’ stronger race and one that he had not lost in any final since taking bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, the reigning world champion showed vulnerability in both events in the City of Light.

He normally likes to win his heats but finished a relaxed second to Tebogo in a 200 semifinal.

He’s been bedeviled by poor starts at the Games and had to mount a frantic comeback to win the 100 by just five-thousandths of a second.

The start is less critical in the longer sprint but still important, even for a closer like Lyles.

Lyles also contended with the self-imposed pressure of wanting to be the celebrity face of the sport. He backed up his bravado in the 100 while ratcheting up expectations of a double.

As it turns out, he was not up to the task.