Noah Lyles ran the men’s 200m final with Covid and needed to be wheeled out of the Stade de France after finishing third in the race – but said afterwards that he has never been prouder of himself.
NBC said they spoke to Lyles’ mom, who confirmed he had the virus before the athlete himself spoke out. He said he had no regrets over competing, despite the inevitable risk of spreading the virus to other athletes, who he hugged and shook hands with after the race.
The USA star told NBC, masked up: ‘I woke up early about 5am Tuesday morning, feeling really horrible. I knew it was more than being sore from the 100. My first thought was not to panic, I’ve ben in worse situations, I’ve been in worse conditions.
‘I took it day by day, tried to hydrate as much. It would say it has taken its toll, for sure, but I have never been more proud of myself coming out here and getting a bronze.’
He was asked by Lewis Johnson if he considered withdrawing and gave an emphatic response: ‘No. No. We just said we were going to quarantine as much as possible and not try and pass it on.’
Noah Lyles ran the men’s 200m final in Paris with Covid, it has been claimed by his mom
The American needed to be wheeled away in the moments after the race in shocking scenes
Lyles was clearly struggling for breath after finishing third in the event on Thursday
Lyles did admit the virus could force him out of USA’s 4x100m relay on Friday.
‘At the moment I don’t know, I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing,’ he said. ‘They have proven they can handle it without me.’
Michael Johnson questioned Lyles’ decision to go ahead and compete, saying on the BBC: ‘Very bizarre, Covid is still a dangerous disease. It is just bizarre, the whole thing is really weird.
‘There is going to be all of this thing with the Noah haters out there – and he set himself up for it – there are going to be people out there saying it’s not real and he’s faking or whatever.
‘But putting that aside, having Covid and still coming out here and being in close proximity with other people – I know there probably is not a policy I guess at these Games for that – but morally I’m not sure about it.’
There are no rules that force athletes to withdraw from events, with all Covid protocols dropped for the Paris Games.
Lyles later said that the other competitors were unaware of his diagnosis: ‘We tried to keep it close to our chest. The medical staff, my coach and my mum knew.
‘We didn’t want everybody to go into a panic. We wanted to be able to compete. We wanted to be able to make it discreet as possible and you don’t want to tell your competitors you are sick. Why would you give them an edge?’
NBC’s Johnson revealed earlier about Lyles’ condition: ‘We saw Noah being taken off there in a wheelchair. I ran into his mom who was distraught.
‘She did confirm that Noah had been diagnosed with Covid two days ago but he decided he was going to run anyway.
‘I ran down underneath the stadium to try and find where he was. We found Noah Lyles in medical being tended to.
‘Obviously what he has there may have affected how he performed. He is now with medical people but that is the issue. Noah has Covid.’
But the USA star was seen hugging gold medal winner Letsile Tebogo before getting attention
Lyles (back left) crossed the line in third place, despite being the red-hot favorite
Lyles was seen wearing a mask in the moments before his competition began in Paris
The USA star made his trademark theatrical entrance to the race, leaping into the stadium as his name was announced and screaming at the crowd for the race that many had him as the big favorite for.
But after being left behind by Letsile Tebogo, who won gold, and fellow American Kenny Bednarek, Lyles was seen strewn on the track and struggling for breath after congratulating his fellow competitors.
Moments later, he was pictured needing a wheelchair to make his way off the track. He arrived for the race wearing a mask.
Lyles tweeted earlier this week – after winning gold in 100m – that he is asthmatic, saying: ‘I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression.
‘But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!’
He also took to X to offer Tebogo his congratulations on winning gold, saying: ‘LETSILE TEBOGO congratulations. Ik (I know) you have had a very rough year off the track and despite that you overcame it all!’
Lyles’ mother was described as being ‘distraught’ at seeing her son struggling afterwards
Medics rush to help Lyles after he dropped to the ground and struggled to find his breath
After receiving medical attention, Lyles was seen back on his feet and wearing a mask
Lyles was seen shaking hands and hugging his fellow competitors before he dropped to the ground.
Earlier this week, it was reported that over 40 athletes had tested positive for the virus.
British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive a day after winning silver in the 100m breaststroke when he had not felt well, his team said.
Australian medal hope Lani Pallister pulled out of the women’s 1500m freestyle after falling ill.
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