Noah Lyles Sprints To Bronze In 200M, Follows Gold In 100M At Paris Olympics

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria high school graduate Noah Lyles sprinted his way to a second medal at the Paris Olympics with a third-place finish in the men's 200-meter event. Reports indicate Lyles had tested positive for COVID-19 two days prior.

After winning gold in the 100M Sunday, Lyles secured a bronze medal in Thursday's 200M. First-place finisher Letsile Tebogo won Bostswana's first gold medal ever and became Africa's first men's 200m winner with a time of 19.46 seconds. American Kenny Bednarek finished second with 19.62 seconds, and Lyles followed at 19.70 seconds.

According to CBS News, Lyles had tested positive for COVID-19 two days ago, and the Olympics allows competitors to decide if they want to continue with their events.

After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and writhed around in pain, staying down for nearly 30 seconds before getting up, asking for water and getting to a wheelchair.

The first sign something might be wrong came when Lyles finished second in a lackluster semifinal, then left the track to head to the medical tent. His coach said he was fine, the Associated Press reported.

In the final, Lyles was trailing Tebogo and Bednarek as they headed into the homestretch, and failed to put on his trademark closing finish.

Lyles also won a bronze medal in the 200M event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.