After testing positive for COVID-19, Noah Lyles, the reigning 100m Olympic champion, faced an uphill battle in the men’s 200m final at the Paris 2024 Games.
Despite a strong start and smooth bend, Lyles struggled to keep up with Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who surged ahead in the last 50m to clinch victory with a time of 19.46. Kenneth Bednarek, Lyles’ fellow American teammate, made a sudden push towards the end and secured the silver medal, pushing Lyles into third place.
Following the race, the 27-year-old athlete was seen seated in a chair and subsequently taken off the track on a wheeled chair, raising concerns about his physical condition. Shortly after the race, the US Track and Field team announced that the bronze medallist had competed in the event despite testing positive for Covid-19.
Tebogo made history by becoming the first African to win the title, setting a new African record in the process. This victory also marked Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal. Following his bronze medal win at the previous World Championships and his national record-setting performance in the 100m final in Paris, Tebogo delivered a commanding performance to secure his place as the fifth-fastest man in history over the 200m distance.
Bednarek pursued Tebogo throughout the race and finished with a second consecutive silver in a time of 19.62 seconds. Lyles, aiming to achieve the rare feat of becoming the first American to complete the sprint double since Carl Lewis 40 years ago, settled for third place in the competition.