Lyles, suffering from COVID, finishes 3rd in Olympic upset at 200 meters won by Botswana’s Tebogo

By EDDIE PELLS and PAT GRAHAM

Noah Lyles lost the Olympic 200 meters Thursday, falling to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, then being tended to by medics who carted him off the track in a wheelchair suffering with what The Associated Press learned was a case of COVID.

After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and eventually sat up to be tended to by medical staff.

A person familiar with Lyles’ condition, who did not want to be identified, told AP he had COVID. It’s the second straight time the virus has played a major role in Lyles’ trip to the Games.

The empty stands and year delay before the Tokyo Games led to depression that he said hampered his performance and inspired his road to Paris.