Just four days after winning the 100 metres in the Paris 2024 event, American Noah Lyles was unable to achieve the double after losing the 200m final to Letsile Tebogo, born in Botswana 21 years ago.
According to the criteria of
However, Lyles’ defeat had an explanation, and it has to do with his health: he tested positive for Covid-19. He even had to be taken off in a wheelchair after the test on Thursday.
Noah Lyles
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Lyles had been aware of his coronavirus since Tuesday, when he was tested. “I think this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics,” the Olympic 100-meter champion posted on his Instagram account.
The American finished third in the 200 meters. Had he been healthy, he would likely have made the U.S. team for the 4×100-meter relay scheduled for Friday.
“These are not the Games I dreamed of, but they have left me with a lot of joy in my heart,” said the sprinter.
This is how Noah Lyles lost the 200 meters
The 200m event was one of the highlights of the Olympic day. Lyles, already a 100m champion, was looking for a second gold in his bid to equal the four won by two legends of athletics: Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis.
However, it was Tebogo, 21, who was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 19.46, a new African record, ahead of Americans Kenneth Bednarek (19.62), silver, and Lyles (19.70), bronze. This is the first Olympic gold medal in the history of this African country.
Letsile Tebogo
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After the race, Lyles explained that he had been physically challenged because he has Covid: “I wanted to run. They told me it was possible, so I just stayed away from the rest,” he told NBC.
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With AFP
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