IIn a scene that would have been unimaginable at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Noah Lyles – wearing a black mask – told a group of maskless journalists in a sweaty indoor facility in France on Thursday night: “Yes, I have COVID.”
Lyles said he woke up in the middle of the night on Tuesday with chills, aches and a sore throat. “These were a lot of the symptoms I’ve always had, right before I contracted COVID,” Lyles told reporters after finishing third in the 200m, a race he was considered the favorite to win. He was a three-time defending champion in that event. Lyles came off the track in a wheelchair at the Stade de France feeling lightheaded and short of breath. But he’s now feeling fine.
Read more: Noah Lyles wins Olympic bronze in the 200m despite COVID-19
“I just thought, I need to test this,” Lyles said. He tested positive for COVID-19 around 5 a.m. Tuesday, Lyles said. Lyles quarantined at a hotel near the Olympic Village and began taking paxlovid to treat symptoms. “I still wanted to run,” Lyles said. “We just stayed away from everybody and tried to run lap after lap. And you know, to be honest, I knew if I was going to come out here and win, I had to give it my all from the start. I didn’t have time to conserve energy. So that was kind of the strategy.”
Lyles ran in the semifinals on Wednesday evening despite COVID-19.
There is no blanket COVID-19 protocol for athletes at these Paris Olympics. Each federation can set its own rules, and it appears teams have made decisions on a case-by-case basis. Because Lyles is competing in an outdoor event, transmission rates and risk of infection to others are relatively low. Silver medalist Kenny Bednarek of Team USA said he had no problem with Lyles hugging him after the race.
Botswana’s 200m champion Letsile Tebogo also had no objections to Lyles’ participation in the race. “I wouldn’t say we’re at risk because it’s not a contact sport,” Tebogo said. He thought there was something wrong with Lyles when he saw him retreating in the warm-up area before the race. “I thought maybe it’s just one of those days where he’s not having a good day,” Tebogo said. “I didn’t think about COVID or anything else.”
Read more: The inside story of how Noah Lyles won the 100m
Lyles kept the news of his diagnosis secret to a close circle; his family, medical staff and trainer knew, he said after the race. “We didn’t want everyone to panic,” he said. “We wanted to do it as discreetly as possible. You never want to tell your competitors that you’re sick. Why give them an advantage over you?”
In a statement, the sport’s governing body, USA Track and Field (USATF), said it and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) stand behind Lyles’ decision to compete. “Our most important commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while preserving their right to compete,” the USATF said in a statement. “After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah has decided to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to closely monitor his condition. As an organization, we are strictly following CDC, USOPC and IOC respiratory guidelines to prevent the spread of disease among team members and protect their health and performance.”
Lyles believes COVID-19 affected his performance. He was coughing all night. “To be honest, I’m proud of myself more than anything,” he said. “I came out for three days despite COVID to get the bronze medal.”
Lyles was unsure if he would run the 4×100 relay tomorrow night. “I’m going to be very honest and transparent with them and let them make the decision,” he said. “I believe that no matter what happens, this team of four can handle anything and anything. I’ve been following them in training, they are more than capable of coming out as winners.”
In Tokyo, Lyles believed COVID-19 isolation rules and the pandemic-related lack of fans in the stands prevented him from winning gold. (He was the favorite in that race, too. He also won bronze.) This time, he contracted COVID-19. Lyles had his moment of glory on Sunday night with his photo-finish victory in the 100m.
At the same time, the games were cruel to Lyles. —with reporting by Alice Park/Saint-Denis, France
