The United States (US) sprinter, Noah Lyles, revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning but decided to take part in Thursday night’s 200m race where he finished third.
Lyles recently clinched gold after finishing first in the 100-metre race where he defeated Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by the barest of margins.
The American appeared for a media talk after his 200m race while wearing a mask and was covered by the US team’s medical department. He confirmed that he didn’t want to withdraw from the event as the USA Track & Field revealed earlier that participating in Thursday night’s final was Lyles’ decision.
“I do have Covid,” Lyles said. “I tested positive around 5am on Tuesday. I woke up feeling chills, aching, sore throat. Those were a lot of the symptoms I have had before getting Covid. I was like: ‘I need to test this one.’ It came back positive so we quickly quarantined in a hotel near the village and they got me on as much medication as they legally could to make sure my body was able to keep the momentum going.
“I still wanted to run, they said it was still possible so we stayed away from everybody and took it round by round. I have definitely had better days but I am walking around again. I was quite lightheaded after that race and the chest pain was definitely active. After a while, I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me. I am feeling a lot better now. It definitely affected my performance.”
Meanwhile, the USA Track & Field in a statement confirmed that they will respect Lyles’ decision to participate in the 200m final.
“Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete. After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and continue to monitor his condition closely.”
