Noah Lyles announced that he is COVID-19 negative after missing the 4×100 relay while battling the disease.
Just don’t tell that to the American sprinter’s critics, who viewed his diagnosis as a facade to distract from his defeat in the 200-meter final.
“Thank God I’m Covid free,” Lyles wrote on X, posting a photo of his negative COVID-19 test.
“Oh wow, your recovery from Covid was faster than your 200-meter dash,” one critic responded.
“Understandable, it is only noticeable when Tebogo is around,” added another, referring to 200m gold medalist Letsile Tebogo.
Lyles won the bronze medal in the 200-meter final despite competing with a fever of 39 degrees
On Saturday, Noah Lyles announced on social media that he is finally COVID-19 free
100m champion Lyles was aiming for his rare sprint one-two at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but contracted COVID-19 two days before the final. He eventually finished third, equalling the bronze medal he won at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
His trainer Lance Brauman has since announced that Lyles took part in the race with a body temperature of 39 degrees Celsius.
That’s why this medal in his final sprint at the Paris Olympics is all the more impressive for Brauman, who described the sprinter’s condition and future in an interview with the Associated Press on Friday.
Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and finished third in Thursday’s final behind Tebogo of Botswana and his American teammate Kenneth Bednarek.
“The boys ran great,” Brauman said. “But winning a bronze medal in 19.70 seconds in 39 degrees wasn’t too bad either.”
Critics remain skeptical that Noah Lyles ever fought COVID-19
For Brauman, this performance is on par with that of Lyles, who won gold in the 100-meter race on Sunday.
“A gold medal in the 100 meters at the Olympics is hard to replace… that was probably the most important medal,” Brauman said. “As he put it, we talked about it – the greatest satisfaction for him will be the bronze medal.”
Lyles, 27, was back on track Friday night, wearing a protective mask as he accepted his bronze medal. He took a lap of the track and waved to fans while keeping his distance from Tebogo and Bednarek.
There will be more opportunities, Brauman said, because Lyles is in his prime.
“At least in LA he’ll be really good, and then we’ll see what happens after that,” Brauman said of the next Olympic Games in 2028. “He just has to keep doing what he’s doing.”
Lyles has made no secret of his goal of winning three gold medals at these Olympics, just like Usain Bolt did on his way to superstardom. He may not quite reach Paris, but no one will forget the rollercoaster ride he took: a 100-meter victory by 0.005 seconds, followed by a bronze medal despite running despite COVID.
“I mean, he was sick,” Brauman said. “People say what they want, and that’s fine, but the guy was sick.”
“What he had to do to earn this medal will be hard to forget.”
