Noah Lyles reveals COVID diagnosis after winning bronze in 200 meters

SAINT-DENIS, France – Shortly after finishing third in the Olympic 200 meters Thursday night, American sprinter Noah Lyles revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday morning.

Speaking to a crowd of reporters wearing a black mask, Lyles said he concealed the test from those outside his inner circle so he would not cause alarm within the Olympic track meet and so his rivals would not receive a competitive advantage.

After his positive test Tuesday at 5 a.m., Lyles moved out of the Athletes Village and moved into a hotel to isolate himself and said he worked with USA Track & Field’s medical staff to follow medical protocols. He took “as much medication as we legally could,” Lyles said. Lyles said he ran while on Paxlovid treatments.

Lyles fell to third place in his signature race, losing to 21-year-old Botswanan Letsile Tebogo, who won his country’s first gold medal, and fellow American Kenny Bednarek. Lyles crossed in 19.70 seconds, well behind his standard and distant from Tebogo’s 19.45.

After he crossed the line, Lyles began breathing heavily and laid down on his back. He slowly rose to sit, and medical personnel attended to him. Lyles unzipped his tracksuit and climbed into the wheelchair, fully conscious and regaining control of his breathing.

“Shortness of breath and chest pains were definitely active,” Lyles said. “But after a while underneath (the stands), I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me.”

Lyles said he never considered pulling out of the 200 competition after his coronavirus test. Once he finished second in Wednesday’s semifinal, Lyles considered that a sign he could continue.

Lyles had won in every international competition since the Tokyo Olympics until he finished second in his semifinal Wednesday.

Lyles is still eligible to run in the men’s 4x100 relay Friday night. He did not rule it out, but said he would let U.S. coaches decide.

“I’m going to be very honest and transparent with them, and I’m going to let them make a decision,” Lyles said. “I believe that no matter what happens, they can handle anything and everything.”

The Tokyo Games in 2021 and the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 had strict COVID protocols in place for athletes and most people connected to the competition. The Tokyo Games were held with no spectators as the world was still in the throes of the pandemic. The Paris Games do not have specific COVID protocols, instead leaving it to athletes, teams and National Olympic Committees to decide how to respond to positive cases.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier this year, the CDC rolled back much of its guidance, no longer asking Americans to stay home for five days after testing positive.

According to a statement from the USOPC and USA Track and Field, the organization “swiftly enacted all necessary protocols to prioritize his health, the well-being of our team, and the safety of fellow competitors.

“Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete,” the statement said. “After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.”

Even before Lyles’ positive test, at least 40 Olympians competing in Paris tested positive for COVID in the past two weeks, according to the World Health Organization.

When Lyles won the 100 on Sunday, he captured the event his mother once jokingly christened his “side chick.” Thursday, Lyles won only bronze in the race Keisha Caine Bishop considered his “wife,” the bread-and-butter event Lyles has dominated on the world stage since he turned professional out of T.C. Williams (now Alexandria City) High in Alexandria, Virginia. His pursuit of three gold medals ended with his second consecutive Olympic bronze.

Lyles won every 200 race he entered between the Tokyo Olympics final and Wednesday’s semifinal, when he started slowly and conserved energy on his way to second place. That hiccup could have cost him a preferable lane assignment, but he still started in favored Lane 5.

Lyles had declared his intentions – and brash confidence – Thursday morning. He borrowed a line from one of his favorite anime stories and posted on social media the Japanese phrase, “Omae wa-mo shinde iru.” Translation: You are already dead.

If Lyles was feeling ill, he didn’t show it before the race. Instead he delivered his customary showmanship. As he warmed up, he jogged around the curve and cupped his hand to his ear. As he trotted back around to the blocks, he waved his left arm and asked the crowd for even more noise. When the public address introduced him, he charged on to the track, leaped over the barrier and bounded down the track some 25 meters, just like before his 100 victory.

“I had to give everything I had from the get-go,” Lyles said. “I didn’t have any time to save any energy.”

Lyles suffered from serious asthma as a child, frequently spending nights in the hospital hooked to a nebulizer. He has experienced flares as an adult, but they had never affected him in competition in a major way. Lyles wore a mask in the warm-up area.