Sprint star Lyles has to leave the stadium in a wheelchair
Noah Lyles is the Olympic champion over 100 meters - but the coup over 200 meters eludes him. The American wins bronze and has to be driven out of the stadium in a wheelchair after the race. The reason for his great disappointment: a COVID-19 infection. A world record is set by a teammate.
Letsile Tebogo stole the show from the weakened sprint star Noah Lyles and became the first African to win Olympic gold over 200 meters. The sprinter from Botswana won the final at the Stade de France in 19.46 seconds with a slight tailwind, making him the fifth fastest runner in history on this distance.
The evening ended in great disappointment for 100-meter champion Lyles, who won bronze in 19.70 seconds. Exhausted, he sat down on the track after the race. The US Athletics Federation announced that Lyles is suffering from a COVID-19 infection. Silver went to his compatriot Kenneth Bednarek (19.62).
"I woke up early on Tuesday morning around 5 a.m. and felt really terrible," Lyles said, wearing a mask, on NBC: "I knew it was more than just muscle soreness from the 100 meters. We woke up the doctors and took a test, which unfortunately showed that I was positive for COVID. It took its toll, for sure."
Relay start in the stars
In his hour of triumph, Letsile Tebogo thought of his mother who had passed away in May, whose birthday is on his running shoes. "That carries me through all the difficulties and gives me a lot of motivation," said the winner, who had taken three weeks off from training after the tragedy.
On the tribune, rappers Snoop Dogg and gymnastics icon Simone Biles watched the race and had hoped for a win from Lyles. They had to watch as their compatriot was driven out of the arena in a wheelchair. Lyles' unique quadruple mission has failed prematurely: the 27-year-old, who was already wearing a mask in the call room, had planned to win four gold medals in Paris. After his spectacular triumph over 100 meters, he wanted to triumph over 200 meters as well as with the relay teams over 4x100 meters and 4x400 meters. The relay decisions are still pending. It is unclear whether he will be able to participate in them.
Lyles had made good on his promise last Sunday and won gold over 100 meters in a photo finish thriller. The exceptional sprinter beat Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by just 0.005 seconds.
Weber misses medal
For Julian Weber, the personal curse continues, and his dream of an Olympic medal bursts again. The vice-European champion threw 87.40 meters in a high-class and spectacular final, finishing sixth. Unexpectedly, the Pakistani Arshad Nadeem crowned himself Olympic champion. The vice-world champion, who competed in his second competition of the season in Paris, set an Olympic record with 92.97 meters. Only five athletes have ever thrown further than the 27-year-old, who won the fourth gold medal in Olympic history for his home country. Silver went to Tokyo Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra (India/89.45), bronze to two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada (88.54).
Weber must continue to wait for his first medal at the world level. Three years ago in Tokyo, the Mainz native narrowly missed an Olympic medal, falling just 14 centimeters short of bronze. At the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, the soldier athlete also finished fourth - the drought continued in Paris.
World record for women
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from the USA could crown her second Olympic victory in the 400m hurdles with another world record. The 25-year-old won the final in 50.37 seconds, breaking her own record of 50.65 seconds set on June 30 in Eugene. This left her long-time rival Femke Bol from the Netherlands with no chance.
Bol finished in 52.15 seconds, which was only good enough for bronze behind Anna Cockrell from the USA, who ran 51.87 seconds. Earlier in Saint-Denis, the 24-year-old had led the Dutch mixed relay team to gold in the 4x400m with her final sprint.
Despite his triumph in the 100-meter event, Olympic champion Noah Lyles missed out on the gold in the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris over 200 meters. His COVID-19 infection hindered his performance, and he settled for the bronze medal.
In an emotional moment, Lyles had planned to win four gold medals in Paris, including the 200-meter race. However, his participation in the relay events is currently uncertain due to his COVID-19 diagnosis.
