Noah Lyles revealed he tested positive for Covid on Tuesday morning, in the aftermath of a men’s 200m final where the American was removed from the track in a wheelchair having finished third in 19.70sec.
Lyles appeared for media duties wearing a mask, flanked by members of the US team’s medical department, but claimed he never had any thought about withdrawing from the event. USA Track & Field had made clear it was Lyles’s decision to participate in Thursday night’s final.
Lyles, the freshly crowned Olympic 100m champion, was unable to keep pace with the gold medallist, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (19.46) or his US teammate Kenneth Bednarek (19.62), who took silver. Lyles’s appearance in a wheelchair immediately drew speculation about his medical condition.
The 27-year-old soon clarified his situation. “I do have Covid,” Lyles said. “I tested positive around 5am on Tuesday. I woke up feeling chills, aching, sore throat. Those were a lot of the symptoms I have had before getting Covid. I was like: ‘I need to test this one.’ It came back positive so we quickly quarantined in a hotel near the village and they got me on as much medication as they legally could to make sure my body was able to keep the momentum going.
“I still wanted to run, they said it was still possible so we stayed away from everybody and took it round by round. I have definitely had better days but I am walking around again. I was quite light headed after that race and the chest pain was definitely active. After a while I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me. I am feeling a lot better now. It definitely affected my performance.”
In a statement, USA Track & Field said: “Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete. After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and continue to monitor his condition closely.”
The Paris Olympics has no mandatory rules relating to Covid and participation, meaning Lyles was within his rights to take to the start line. Covid has been a lingering feature of the Games, having affected Australian water polo players and swimmers from various nations, including Britain’s Adam Peaty.
Lyles answered a firm “no” when asked whether withdrawing from the 200m was ever a consideration. “I was going to compete regardless,” he added. “If I didn’t make the final, that would have been the sign not to compete.”
Still, Lyles’s attitude will raise eyebrows. His girlfriend is the Jamaican athlete Junelle Bromfield, with whom he admitted sharing a bed while in the hotel. “Junelle said I was coughing through the night last night,” Lyles said. “I thought I had a good sleep but she said she had to keep moving me through the night to make sure I would stop coughing. I am more proud of myself than anything. Coming out and winning the bronze medal after three days with Covid … it has been a wild Olympics.”
No other members of the US team had been informed of Lyles’s diagnosis before the 200m final. “The only people who knew were the medical staff, my coach, my mom and my family,” said Lyles.
“We tried to keep this as close to the chest as possible. We didn’t want everybody going into a panic, we wanted them to be able to compete. You also never want to tell your competitors you are sick. Why would you give them an advantage over you?”
Bednarek, who hugged Lyles after the final, seemed to have no worries about any danger attached to that. “I don’t care,” said the silver medallist. “I don’t view those things as a big deal. I am healthy and do everything to ensure my body is healthy. It doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t get sick easily.”
Lyles still has to make a call over whether to compete in the 4x100m men’s relay. “I am going to talk to the 4x100 crew,” Lyles said. “I am going to be very honest and transparent with them, I will let them make the decision. I believe no matter what happens, they can handle anything.”
