By Chris Chavez
August 18, 2024
On Saturday night’s Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco, Noah Lyles opened up about taking bronze in the 200m at the Paris Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19 just two days earlier.
Backstory:
– At the Olympics, Lyles said he tested positive for COVID less than 36 hours after he won the 100m in a photo finish over Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in a personal best of 9.79s. Lyles left the Olympic Village to quarantine in a hotel. Team USA doctors prescribed Paxlovid to help him recover before the 200m final on Aug. 8th. Athletes at the Paris Olympics were not required to test or report COVID-19 cases, which was a stark difference from the strict testing and quarantining at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
– Lyles finished third in 19.70s behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (19.46) and Team USA’s Kenny Bednarek (19.62). This was Lyles’ first loss in the event since the Tokyo Olympic final, where he also earned a silver medal.
– Lyles, who has asthma, was taken off the track by medics in a wheelchair. He later spoke with reporters in the mixed zone wearing a N95 mask.
Lyles’ Account
– Here is how Lyles recounted the run with COVID at the Olympics to Sharpe and Ochocinco.
“Now looking back, there were signs on the day of the final of the 100m that this was taking too much energy to produce what I normally produce. I just threw it to the side. Then, I wake up the next day and it’s Monday now after the finals and I have a sore throat. I’m thinking, ‘OK. Maybe I just cheered a little too much. Maybe I was yelling a little too much.’ Even though I didn’t really feel like I was I just put it off to that because I had a job to do.
It wasn’t until I woke up in the middle of the night on Tuesday morning and my body was aching. I’ve got chills. I’ve got a headache. My sinuses are running. My throat is super sore. I’m like, ‘Oh no. These are all the signs I get before I get COVID.’ I called up the doctors in that moment and said, ‘We need to test. We need to test now.’
Lyles went on to add.
“I had a plan before I got to the 200m and now my plan is out the window. Right now, I’m just trying to get as healthy as possible. They put me on the COVID medication…I’m trying to go through warmups and trying to get as normal as possible each round. I’m trying to throw away any negative thought that I have and keeping that confidence and that idea believing I’m in the shape of my life.”
– Sharpe asked whether Lyles ever considered pulling out of the race.
“Yeah, that was a conversation. While I was getting tested, I was talking to the Team USA doctors and they were telling me what the rules are. They changed them from Tokyo. They said that anyone who has COVID is allowed to compete. It’s up to the governing body of their sport or their country to decide how they want to handle the COVID situation.
I’m just going to let you know, there were a lot of people in the village who had COVID that just didn’t say it. I’m just the most popular person who got COVID and actually said I had it. Because of that, it stirs up a lot of controversy in itself.
As soon as I heard I got COVID and I was able to compete, I said ‘I am going to try.’ I’m not promised tomorrow, so I’m going to take advantage of what I have today. The fact that I was able to get to the finals and still grab bronze, that was a medal I could’ve easily just said ‘Nah I got the gold, I’m good.’ No! I’m here now, I fought for this for 4 years. I trained for this for 4 years. Why not take the opportunity?”
What comes next?
– Lyles entered the Paris Olympics hoping to come away with gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and possibly the 4x400m relay. He left Paris with the 100m gold, 200m bronze and did not contest either relay.
– Lyles told Nightcap that he has ended his season and will not contest any of the remaining Diamond League races.
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
