Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID during the Paris Olympics, but nobody knew this fact until after he placed third in the men’s 200-meter final.
Immediately after the race, he collapsed to the ground and struggled to breathe as he asked for water.
Noah Lyles’s mother, Keisha Caine Bishop, who was in the stands, stated that the security at the Olympics refused to provide her with any assistance to help her when he collapsed at the Games.
Keisha Caine Bishop wrote in an Instagram post that she pleaded with security to get a doctor over to treat her son, but her cries went unanswered.
She wrote, “This was one of the scariest moments of my life! Watching my son hold his chest, gasping for air while the stadium security refused to call a Dr. as I begged them to send him help. They also refused to do anything to help. They totally ignored me! No parent should ever have to experience this feeling of helplessness!”
Despite her initial anger and helplessness, she expressed gratitude to the NBC team present at the Olympics, which helped her and Noah Lyles. She wrote, “However, I want to thank the @nbcolympics team for helping me during this moment. Thank you for seeing me & my son as human beings and not just another story. Words cannot express my gratitude for your empathy, professionalism, and kindness.”
“Also thank you @usatf staff who let me cry on their shoulders. To the security team, I pray if your loved one ever needs help, they get treated better than you treated us. I also thank God he is getting better.”
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Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 two days before the 200-meter final but still decided to run and somehow persevered to win a bronze medal.
He was hoping to make history as a double champ after he already won a gold medal in the 100 earlier in the week.
Lyles told the Associated Press that his temperature reached no higher than 99 degrees and stated he feared the symptoms more than anything else.
“Then asthma joining in on that and making it even [worse], that was our worst fear,” he said. “We were back in the medical bay underneath the track. Their biggest concern was me getting bronchitis because we didn’t want something to get infected and the asthma really starts to take form. We really had to jump on top of that.
“If that was the case, I probably would have had to get a trip to the hospital, for sure.”
By Saturday, Lyles tested negative for COVID, and now he can turn his attention to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month.
Noah Lyles’ Pre-Race Trash Talk Resurfaced After 200-Meter Loss
Noah Lyles was the unquestioned favorite heading into the 200-meter final since he just claimed gold in the 100 meters.
Lyles crossed the finish line third in his favorite event.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo went first, and United States teammate Kenny Bednarek claimed second.
Before taking the track for the 200m final, Lyles sent a clear warning to his competitors.
“I’ll be winning… that man [Kenny Bednarek] ain’t winning. None of them is winning,” Lyles said. “When I come off the turn, they will be depressed.”
Noah Lyles was trying to be a lil respectful until Fred Kerley poked him to talk his shit 🗣️
“None of them is winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed” pic.twitter.com/yZ8WrzxyO7
— Track Spice 🌶️ (@trackspice) August 5, 2024
