Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 in the days leading up to his 200-meter final Thursday, according to the NBC broadcast, and the Team USA track star was pushed off in a wheelchair after settling for the bronze medal.
Before the race began, Lyles jumped out of the tunnel once his name was introduced and didn’t appear to be exhausted, but Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo pulled away down the stretch for a convincing win over Lyles and Team’s Kenny Bednarek, who took silver.
“I ran into his mom, Keisha Caine Bishop, who was distraught trying to find him as well,” NBC’s Lewis Johnson reported on the broadcast. “We found Noah Lyles in medical there being tended to, and and she did confirm that Noah had been diagnosed with COVID two days ago … But he decided he was going to run anyway.”
Lyles, after crossing the finish line and moving, stretched out on the ground next to the track, appearing to be in pain or tired or a combination of both, and later shifted to a wheelchair.
His week started with a gold medal on a photo-finish in the 100-meter race, before cruising in a 200-meter heat the following day.
He was expected to replace either Kyree King or Courtney Lindsey in the Team USA lineup for the 4×100 relay final, but it’s unclear if those plans could change after his COVID-19 diagnosis.