Athletics star of the US team Noah Lyles would compete in his final event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with or without COVID-19.
“(I thought) ‘Let’s try to keep this as normal as possible,’ knowing I’ve dealt with this kind of thing in the past,” Lyles, 27, said in an interview with People on Sunday, August 11, about participating in the men’s 200-meter final. “I have run close to getting COVID many times.”
For Lyles, there was never any doubt about whether or not he would compete. “I know I’m built for these kinds of moments and I’ve trained my whole life,” he added. “I know I can go out there and still put in a great performance and it’s an all-or-nothing scenario because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. So I might as well make the most of today.”
Lyles took the bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter final on Thursday, August 8, despite testing positive for COVID-19 just two days earlier. He said People of the event: “As long as I knew I was allowed to do it, I tackled it.”
On Sunday, he added that he was feeling “a lot better” despite lingering fatigue. “I just told my girlfriend, ‘I’m so tired,’ and she was like, ‘Well, you just won the 100 with COVID and you’re still not resting as much as you can,'” Lyles said. People. (Lyles is dating an Olympian, the sprinter for Team Jamaica. Junelle Bromfieldsince 2022.)
Lyles said his COVID symptoms included fatigue, aches and chills, and the virus also triggered his asthma. After winning the bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter race, Lyles was escorted off the track in a wheelchair.
Lyles was unable to compete with Team USA in the men’s 4×100 relay final and later announced via Instagram that he would not compete in any further events at the 2024 Olympics, including the men’s 4×100 relay final. Unfortunately, Team USA was disqualified due to a failed relay handoff during the race. “Unfortunately, these things happen,” Lyles said People on Sunday.
“When you have a stage as big as the Olympics and the crowd is so loud you can’t even hear your own thoughts, it’s hard to prepare for that,” he said. “In a relay, it’s four people all trying to work together, and since I unfortunately had to step down because of COVID, it was up to the relay coach and the relay team to decide how best to adapt to the situation.”
He concluded by saying, “Yeah, it really sucks and everyone has an opinion on it. But believe me when I say that everyone is really trying their best and doing their best.”