Sprinter with COVID-19 finishes third in Olympic 200-metre race

American Noah Lyles finished third in the Olympic 200 meters on Thursday despite being infected with Covid-19. Leslie Tebogo from Botswana won this competition.

Lyles fell to the ground and screamed in pain after finishing third for the second consecutive Olympics. He stayed on the ground for about 30 seconds and then, asking for water, got on a wheelchair. Later, while wearing a mask, he spoke to reporters and confirmed that he was infected with Covid-19.

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This is the second consecutive Olympics in which the corona virus plays an important role in Lyles' presence in the games. He also won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and said that the empty stands and the one-year delay of the games led to his depression, which affected his performance and boosted his motivation to be in Paris.

Tebogo, 21, led from start to finish, clocking 19.46 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever, but 0.15 seconds slower than Lyles' best. Kenny Bednarek finished second for the second consecutive time in 19.62 seconds, and Lyles, four nights after a close victory in the 100 meters, ran the corner in 19.70 seconds.

The first sign that something might be wrong came the night before, when Lyles finished the second round of the semifinal without a spark and then left the track without speaking to reporters to go to the medical tent. His coach said he was fine.

When Tebogo and Bednarek reached the corner in the final, it was clear that he was not well.

Lyles was close behind as they headed down the straight, where he usually has a race-ending move that has always been the best part of this race. This time – nothing. Just a desperate push to the finish line and then a crash on the purple track.

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