“I woke up in the middle of the night feeling chills, aching and a sore throat. Those were a lot of the symptoms I’ve had right before getting Covid. I [knew] I needed to test this one and … it came back positive.”
Letsile Tebogo (left) wins the 200m ahead of Kenny Bednarek (second left) and Noah Lyles. Photo: Reuters
Lyles, who won 100m gold last Sunday, revealed he promptly transferred from the Olympic Village, where a number of athletes have contracted Covid during the Games, to isolate at a nearby hotel.
“We were trying to get me on as much medication as we legally could to make sure my body was able to keep the momentum going,” Lyles said.
“I still wanted to run, [doctors] said it was possible.”
Explaining the decision to conceal it, he said: “We were trying to keep this close to our chests … my coach didn’t want everybody [in the US team] to go into a panic … and you never want to tell your competitors you’re sick. Why would you give them an edge over you?”
Lyles ran his 200m heat on Monday. In Wednesday’s semi-finals, following his diagnosis, Lyles was beaten by Tebogo, his first defeat over the distance in 27 races.
He said the final left him feeling “quite light-headed, [with] shortness of breath and chest pain”.
Lyles said the illness “definitely affected my performance”, but insisted he was “90 to 95 per cent” healthy.
Only medical staff and his coach, mum and family knew Lyles had tested positive. He shared his hotel room with partner Junelle Bromfield, who was eighth in a 400m semi-final on Wednesday and was set to run for Jamaica in the women’s 4x400m relay heats on Friday morning.
“Junelle said I was coughing through the night last night,” Lyles said. “I thought I had a good night’s sleep, but she had to keep moving me through the night to make sure I would stop coughing.
Noah Lyles sits on the track after finishing the 200m final at the Stade de France. Photo: Reuters
“To be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything, coming out and getting the bronze medal [after testing positive for] Covid three days ago.”
A USA Track and Field statement said team officials had “enacted all necessary protocols to prioritise [Lyles’] health, the well-being of our team and the safety of fellow competitors”.
The statement added: “As an organisation, we are rigorously adhering to … guidelines for respiratory illnesses to prevent the spread of illness among team members, safeguarding their health and performance.”
Bednarek, who repeated his silver in Tokyo three years ago, confirmed he had no knowledge of Lyles’ condition before the final.
And the 25-year-old said he had no problem with Lyles hugging him after the race.
“I take care of my body, so … I rarely get sick,” Bednarek said. “I’m just going to give him a hug, regardless of whether he’s sick or not. I don’t really care about those things.”
Lyles’ partner Junelle Bromfield is competing for Jamaica at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Reuters
It was reported this week that 16 Australian Olympians contracted Covid during the Games. British swimmer Adam Peaty returned a positive test the morning after claiming 100m breaststroke silver.
Bednarek nonetheless insisted he was unaware of an athletes’ village epidemic.
“I guess I’m carefree, so I’m not really seeing certain things,” he said. “There was a message that came out saying something was going on, but I haven’t seen anything.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-08 19:58:00
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