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Noah Lyles Explains Why He Raced Despite Positive COVID Test

Lyles did not break any COVID rules by participating in the event while COVID-positive.

Josh Wilson

Noah Lyles runs in the 200-meter final at the Paris Games
Noah Lyles runs in the 200-meter final at the Paris Games / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Noah Lyles, a favorite to win gold at the 200-meter final at the Paris Games, came in third, securing bronze. His place on the podium was a shock, until shortly after the race he was seen being tended to by medical staff and taken off in a wheelchair. The first thought was that he may have run through an injury, but the reality was he ran while ill from COVID.

Lyles tested positive a few days ago and described attempting to quarantine to the best of his ability leading up to the 200-meter. He did not break any Olympic protocols by participating in the event. Teams and individuals are able to participate at their discretion even if COVID positive in 2024 after restrictions for the past two Games.

The main reason Lyles opted to race, despite the illness, was resilience. He spoke after the race about how he was proud of being able to come out to participate despite the circumstances.

"My first thought [after testing positive] was not to panic, thinking I’ve been in worse situations, I’ve run with worse conditions, and we just took it day by day, trying to hydrate, quarantined off. It’s taken its toll for sure, but I’ve never been more proud of myself for being able to come out here and get a bronze medal.”

His medal, the same one he achieved last Olympics, feels much different this time around:

"It's taken its toll for sure, but I've never been more proud of myself for being able to come out here and getting a bronze medal where last Olympic I was very disappointed, and this time I couldn't be more proud."

Asked if he ever considered not running, he said: "No. No, I didn't. I just said we was just going to quarantine as much as possible, stay away, not trying to, you know, pass it off and, just to be honest, give it my all."

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Josh Wilson

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

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