Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles revealed on Thursday that he tested positive just two days before securing a bronze medal in the men’s 200m final.
Lyles, who had been aiming for a 100m-200m double in Paris, was removed from the track in a wheelchair after the men’s 200m final, which was won by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.
However, there had been no sign of illness when the American was introduced to the crowd before the race, bounding onto the track and gesticulating with his arms to pump up the crowd.
In an interview with NBC, Lyles said: “I woke up early, about 5:00 am on Tuesday morning and I was feeling really horrible.
“I knew it was more than just being sore from the 100 (metres). We woke up the doctors and we tested and unfortunately, it came up that I was positive for Covid.”
Lyles said the Covid “has taken its toll, for sure.
