Noah Lyles, the 27-year-old sprinting sensation, had set high expectations for the men’s 200m final at the Paris Olympics but ultimately fell short of his goals.
Lyles, who had already claimed gold in the 100m, aimed to become only the eighth man in Olympic history to achieve a sprint double. However, despite his confident declarations leading up to the race, he finished in third place, behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and Team USA’s Kenny Bednarek.
Before the final, Lyles was outspoken about his plans. “I’ll be winning,” he stated with a laugh when asked about his ambitions. His confidence was echoed by his teammate Fred Kerley, who encouraged him with, “Talk your s**t.” Lyles responded with bravado, saying, “That man ain’t winning, none of them is winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed.”
In the wake of his performance, Lyles faced sharp criticism on social media as fans highlighted the contrast between his pre-race bravado and his final result.
“Guess Noah Lyles is the only person depressed after the turn,” one user tweeted.
“Noah Lyles said everyone was gonna be depressed when they hit that turn… Wellllllll,” another added.
“Noah Lyles got humbled in the 200m and looks depressed,” a third fan commented.
“Once Noah Lyles said ‘nobody’s winning, once I come off that turn they’ll be depressed,’ I lowkey knew bruh was gonna lose,” another user observed.
Lyles had made a dramatic entrance onto the track but struggled throughout the race. He later collapsed and was taken away in a wheelchair. It was subsequently revealed that he had contracted COVID-19 shortly before the final.
“I woke up about 5am on Tuesday morning and was feeling really horrible,” Lyles admitted. “I knew it was more than just soreness from the 100m. We woke up the doctors and tested, and unfortunately, it came up positive for COVID.”
Despite the setback, Lyles remained positive. “My first thought was not to panic. I’ve been in worse situations, I’ve run with worse conditions I’ve felt,” he said. “We just took it day by day, tried to hydrate, quarantined off, and I would definitely say it’s taken its toll for sure. But I’ve never been more proud of myself to come out here and get a bronze medal. Last Olympics, I was very disappointed, and this time I couldn’t be more proud.”
Lyles has announced his withdrawal from the 4x100m relay final. “I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics,” he wrote on Instagram. “It is not the Olympics I dreamed of but it has left me with so much joy in my heart. I hope everyone enjoyed the show. Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you?”
