When Noah Lyles turned the corner in his signature 200-meter event, the Olympic final, on Thursday night, it was clear that danger was ahead. This is often when Lyles makes his move and separates himself from his rivals, who have been fierce but ultimately inferior to him for the last three years.
At the Paris Games, Noah Lyles, the American favorite who hadn’t lost in the 200 meters for three years, couldn’t get going. Rather than closing the gap with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who was two lanes to his right, Lyles watched as Tebogo pulled further away, struggling to the finish line before collapsing on the track to finish third. The COVID-19 virus, which had rocked the world four years prior and caused havoc at the previous Olympics, was also a lingering specter in Paris.
The best sprinter in the world disclosed that he had tested positive for the virus two days prior to his unexpected 200-meter bronze medal, a warning that it is still a major issue even though its devastating impact has diminished. His surprise performance on the biggest sporting stage in the world is now more understood in light of this revelation.
Lyles said; “I was still eager to run.”
Noah Lyles raced the race and finished in 19.70 seconds with approval from USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. He finished third, just 0.24 seconds behind Tebogo, age 21, despite being 0.39 seconds off his personal best. Lyles’s American partner Kenny Bednarek finished second, matching their previous Olympic result of 2-3.
Before things became strange the previous evening, Lyles seemed certain.
As with McLaughlin-Levrone in her races, Noah Lyles was the clear favorite in the 200 meters when he arrived in Paris with the world record time for 2024 and the title of three-time world champion.
Lyles was on track to become the first man to accomplish the 100-200 double since Usain Bolt eight years ago, following his spectacular victory in the 100 meters just four nights before. That night, Lyles lost his first 200-meter race since his disastrous third-place finish in Tokyo, and a worrying indication was that he had finished second to Tebogo in his semifinal heat.