PARIS: American sprinter Noah Lyles said he ran the Olympic 200 metres final two days after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Lyles won the 100m on Sunday but was denied a double when he had to settle for bronze in the 200m, with gold going to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.
Lyles wore a face mask in the call room which fuelled speculation, according to German news agency dpa.
He said later: “I do have Covid. I tested positive around 5am on Tuesday morning. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling real chills, aching, sore throat, and those were a lot of the symptoms I’ve had right before getting Covid.
“We tested it, came back positive and we quickly quarantined in a hotel nearby the (Olympic) Village. Tried to get me on as much medication as we legally could to make sure my body could keep the momentum going.
“I still wanted to run, it was still possible, we just stayed away from everybody. I knew that if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I have from the get-go. I didn’t have any time to save energy. That was the strategy.
“It definitely affected my performance. I’ve had to take a lot of breaks. I was coughing through the night. I’m more proud of myself than anything, coming out here to get a bronze with Covid.” — BERNAMA-dpa
