Noah Lyles, who just days ago claimed the title of the world’s fastest man at the Stade de France, faced a stark contrast in fortune on Thursday night. After testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, Lyles nevertheless took to the track for the 200m Olympic final, where he courageously earned a bronze medal. The strain, however, was evident as he collapsed after crossing the finish line, overwhelmed by sheer exhaustion rather than disappointment.
“I do have COVID,” Lyles confirmed. “I tested positive early Tuesday morning after waking up with chills, body aches, and a sore throat—symptoms I’ve had before with COVID. We got the positive result, quarantined quickly, and did everything we could, within the rules, to keep me going. I still wanted to race, and it was still possible, so we kept our distance from everyone.”
Determined not to let the virus stop him, Lyles knew he had to give his all from the start. “If I wanted to have a chance at winning, I had to go all out right away—no time to conserve energy,” he explained. By the end of the race, he was spent. “I’ve had better days, but I’m moving around again. I was pretty light-headed after the race, struggling to catch my breath and with chest pain, but eventually, I got my bearings. I’m feeling much better now.”
Lyles’ pre-race demeanor gave little indication of his condition. The energetic showman was his usual lively self, engaging the crowd with his exuberance. His antics even earned him a yellow card for kicking his starter’s block in a fit of enthusiasm. “This is the best I’ve felt in the past few days—still not 100%, but closer to 90 to 95%,” Lyles admitted. “That energy burst worked for one race. It’s a one-shot deal, no holding back.”
When the race began, Lyles exploded out of the blocks but lacked his usual closing speed. As Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and Lyles’ teammate Kenny Bednarek surged ahead, Lyles couldn’t catch them. Tebogo secured the gold in 19.46 seconds, Bednarek took silver in 19.62, and Lyles claimed bronze in 19.70. “The illness definitely impacted my performance,” Lyles said. “I’ve had to take a lot of breaks… I was coughing throughout the night. But I’m proud of myself for coming out here and winning bronze despite having COVID.”
The decision to compete, made after consulting with the U.S. track team’s medical staff, was entirely Lyles’ own. “We tried to keep this information close to the chest—only the medical team, my coach, and my mum knew. We didn’t want to cause a panic. I’m a competitor—why give your opponents an advantage?”
As of Thursday night, Lyles had yet to decide whether he would compete in the 4x100m relay, though it seemed doubtful. Meanwhile, Tebogo’s gold-medal performance, clocking the fifth-fastest time in Olympic 200m history, deserves recognition independent of Lyles’ circumstances. Tebogo, who won silver at last year’s world championships in Budapest and finished sixth in the 100m earlier in the week, dedicated his win to his late mother, whose birthdate was inscribed on his shoes.
“It’s like she’s with me in every stride I take,” Tebogo said. “She’s watching over me, and she’s proud. I didn’t want to put the date of her passing because it would make me too emotional.”
Tebogo’s journey to the Olympics has been marked by personal loss and perseverance. “I took nearly a month off from training after she passed—I just couldn’t process that she was really gone. But I had to find the reason why I started this journey and why I should keep going. I’m incredibly grateful for my team—they stood by me through everything. We had our challenges, but we made it to the Olympics.”
In a race that will be remembered for its dramatic twists, both Lyles and Tebogo have demonstrated that true greatness is defined not just by victory but by resilience, determination, and the ability to push through adversity.
