U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles was unable to compete the Olympic double, but did earn a bronze in the men’s 200m for the second straight Olympic Games. Lyles, who has asthma, ran the race despite testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Noah Lyles, who already earned the title of "World's Fastest Man" at the Paris Olympics, fell short Thursday of his goal to become the first American to win gold in the 100m and 200m sprints since Carl Lewis in 1984. Lyles' mother told NBC Olympics that Lyles was diagnosed with Covid a couple of days ago.
Lyles came in third in the men's 200m final with a time of 19.70 seconds. Botswana's Letsile Tebogo won the gold with a time of 19.46 seconds and the USA's Kenneth Bednarek won the silver finishing with a time of 19.62 seconds.
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The 200m is Lyles' premiere, preferred event and he's ranked number one in the world for it. Lyles needed medical attention after the race, and later he was seen by NBC Olympics in a wheelchair, as he mother told Lewis Johnson the runner has COVID. Lyles has been seen wearing a mask recently.
"[Lyles' mother Keisha Caine Bishop] did confirm Noah had been diagnosed with COVID two days ago. That's right, diagnosed with COVID two days ago," Johnson reported. "But he decided, he was going to run anyway. And obviously, what he has there, may have affected how he performed. He is now, again, with medical people and again, his mom is also distraught. But that's the issue, Noah has COVID."
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Lyles had a thrilling triumph in the 100m final on Sunday. The 27-year-old turned on the jets late to win the race by a fraction of a second, capturing his first Olympic gold medal and Team USA's first 100m title in two decades.
Usain Bolt at the Rio Olympics in 2016 was the last male athlete to win both the 100m and 200m at the same Olympics.
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It was a star-studded crowd at the stadium for the 200m and included Simone Biles, Mick Jagger, Snoop Dogg, Mikaela Shiffrin and Leon Marchand.
Lyles is still expected to compete in the men' 4x100m relay final on Friday.
How many sprint doubles at an Olympics have there been?
The men's sprint double -- where an athlete wins both the 100m and 200m dashes at the same Games -- has been achieved a combined 11 times by nine athletes in the history of the Olympics.
When was the last sprint double at an Olympics?
Olympic legend Usain Bolt was the last man to complete the sprint double -- and he achieved the feat at three straight Games.
The eight-time gold medalist swept the 100m and 200m sprints at the 2008 Beijing Games, 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games, becoming the only man to record an Olympic sprint double multiple times. Bolt in 2012 also became the first athlete -- male or female -- to ever complete the sprint double at consecutive Games.
Fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah recently became the first woman to win both the 100m and 200m races at consecutive Olympics, doing so in the 2016 Games and pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games. Thompson-Herah had previously become the first woman to complete the sprint double since American Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Games.
List of sprint doubles at an Olympics
Here's a look at every men's sprint double in the history of the Games, with Carl Lewis' 1984 feat standing as the most recent by an American:
- Archie Hahn, USA: 1904
- Ralph Craig, USA: 1912
- Percy Williams, Canada: 1928
- Eddie Tolan, USA: 1932
- Jesse Owens, USA: 1936
- Bobby Morrow, USA: 1956
- Valeriy Borzov, Soviet Union: 1972
- Carl Lewis, USA: 1984
- Usain Bolt, Jamaica: 2008, 2012, 2016
Owens, Morrow and Lewis, along with Bolt in both 2012 and 2016, expanded their sprint doubles into triples by winning the 4x100m relay as well.
What's the world record in the 200m?
Usain Bolt set the 200m world record with a time of 19.19 seconds at the 2009 World Championships. But Lyles has said he believes he'll eventually break Bolt's record mark -- will it be in the 200m final?
How many sprint doubles at an Olympics have there been?
The men's sprint double -- where an athlete wins both the 100m and 200m dashes at the same Games -- has been achieved a combined 11 times by nine athletes in the history of the Olympics.
When was the last sprint double at an Olympics?
Olympic legend Usain Bolt was the last man to complete the sprint double -- and he achieved the feat at three straight Games.
The eight-time gold medalist swept the 100m and 200m sprints at the 2008 Beijing Games, 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games, becoming the only man to record an Olympic sprint double multiple times. Bolt in 2012 also became the first athlete -- male or female -- to ever complete the sprint double at consecutive Games.
Fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah recently became the first woman to win both the 100m and 200m races at consecutive Olympics, doing so in the 2016 Games and pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games. Thompson-Herah had previously become the first woman to complete the sprint double since American Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Games.
What's Noah Lyles' best time in the 200m?
The 200m is considered to be Lyles' stronger race compared to the 100m. After earning bronze at the Tokyo Games, Lyles didn't lose a single 200m race until Wednesday's semifinals in Paris.
Lyles placed second in his semifinal heat with a time of 20.08 seconds, finishing behind Botswana's Letsile Tebogo (19.96). Lyles posted the third-best semifinal time overall behind Tebogo and fellow American Kenny Bednarek (20.00).
Bednarek is the event's reigning Olympic silver medalist. The defending Olympic champion, Canada's Andre De Grasse, failed to qualify for the final.
Lyles' personal-best time in the 200m is also the American record of 19.31 seconds, which he tallied at the 2022 World Championships. His season-best time of 19.53 seconds came at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June.
What other events is Noah Lyles competing in at 2024 Paris Olympics?
Lyles already competed in the men's 100m and will be competing in the 4x100m relay as well. Here's what the schedule for that event looks like:
| Date | Time | Race |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, August 9 | 1:47 p.m. ET/10:47 a.m. PT | Men's 4x100 relay final |
How to watch Noah Lyles race at the Olympics
All of Noah Lyles' medal races will be broadcast live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
Lyles' races will also be shown either live or on replay in primetime on NBC.
How many medals does Noah Lyles have?
Now Lyles currently has three Olympic medals: gold in the 100m and bronze in the 200m at the Paris Olympics, and bronze in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics.
- 2024 Paris Olympics - Bronze - 200m
- 2024 Paris Olympics - Gold - 100m
- 2020 Tokyo Olympics - Bronze - 200m
