Lyles, suffering from COVID, finishes 3rd in Olympic upset at 200 meters won by Botswana’s Tebogo

American sprinter Noah Lyles suffers setback due to COVID, loses to Letsile Tebogo in Olympic final

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) – Noah Lyles lost the Olympic 200 meters Thursday, falling to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, then being tended to by medics who carted him off the track in a wheelchair suffering with what The Associated Press learned was a case of COVID.

After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and eventually sat up to be tended to by medical staff. A person familiar with Lyles’ condition, who did not want to be identified, told AP was diagnosed with COVID two days before the final.

It’s the second straight Olympics the virus has played a major role in Lyles’ trip to the Games. He also won the bronze in the Tokyo Olympics, and he has said the empty stands and a year delay before the Games led to depression that he said hampered his performance and inspired his road to Paris.