Viewers are wondering what happened to Noah Lyles after he lost the 200-meter sprint on Thursday, August 8 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lyles was expected to win the 200m dash, but finished with the bronze medal behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and USA’s Kenny Bednarek. Given his gold-medal victory in the 100-meter sprint earlier in the week, his loss is one of the most unexpected upsets during the 2024 Olympic Games. However, some have speculated that he was sick. Here are some potential reasons why Noah Lyles lost in the 200-meter event at the Olympics.
Was Noah Lyles sick at the 200-meter sprint?
It has been confirmed that Noah Lyles was indeed sick with COVID, as confirmed by US Track and Field via BBC Sport in a post on X. After winning the bronze at the event, he was seen in a wheelchair.
There was speculation that Noah Lyles was sick during the 200-meter sprint, with many spotting that the athlete was wearing a mask before the event, which he didn’t do before the 100-meter sprint.
Other athletes during the Paris Olympics have decided to wear a mask as an extra precaution to reduce their risk of infection. Lyles finished second in Heat 2 of the semi-finals of the 200m sprint, also behind Tebogo. This led to speculation by fans that he was potentially sick or that his health was compromised in some way.
After the 200m final race, Lyles was seen struggling to breathe and looked fatigued after his excruciating schedule running in the 100m sprints and the 4x100m relays. After falling to the ground, Lyles was briefly attended by the medical team.
Given the announcement that Lyles has COVID, it’s very possible that he will not be able to participate during the 4x100m relay finals on August 9. He was not in Heat 1 of this relay, which had Team USA’s Coleman, Lindsey, King, and Kerley participating instead.
