After clinching the bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter final, Noah Lyles was done! He tested positive for COVID-19 and competed in the race while feeling unwell. Due to his history of asthma, he collapsed into a wheelchair and required medical attention instantly. After the race, he took to Instagram and expressed his belief that this setback might be the “end of my 2024 Olympics.” With Lyles out of the competition, Team USA is left facing a tough row to hoe as they navigate their lineup for the 4×100-meter relay, a race he was expected to shine in.

While there’s no official word yet, it seems increasingly likely that Lyles will not participate in the 4×100-meter relay. The relay final is scheduled for Friday, August 9. However, Lyles did not compete in the heats for the 4×100-meter relay also, as he was focused on preparing for the 200m. The heat was run by Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Kyree King, and Courtney Lindsey, who delivered the fastest time of 37.47 seconds.

While the same quartet might compete in the final, Team USA has an alternative option. Kenneth Bednarek could potentially be inserted into the lineup in place of one of the current runners, offering flexibility beyond Lyles. However, just a few hours ago, Noah Lyles, shared a post on Instagram which included the picture of the relay teammates. He captioned it as “Although I won’t be able to go to war with y’all Ik you will come out with the victory! Good luck guys. Go show them the dominance of Team USA!”

The pressing question is why Lyles chose to compete despite being COVID-positive and having a history of asthma as it can be life-threatening.

Did Noah Lyles’ quarantine affect his Olympic goals?

Noah Lyles was quarantined in a hotel near the Olympic Village, with only his coach, medical staff, and mother knowing about his condition. To avoid giving his competitors an edge before the 200m final, he kept his positive COVID-19 test private. This setback has likely ended Lyles’ aspirations of winning four gold medals at the Olympics.

Lyles followed the relaxed COVID protocols at the Paris Olympics by participating in Thursday’s race without breaking any rules. In fact, he was not the first athlete to compete at the 2024 Games while testing positive for COVID-19. NBC’s Lewis Johnson raised this topic when he interviewed Lyles shortly after the 200-meter final.  Regarding his potential role in the relay team, Lyles said, “At the moment, I don’t know. Right now, I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing. They’ve proven with great certainty they can handle it without me. If that’s the case coming off today, then I’m perfectly fine saying, ‘Hey, you guys go do your thing. You guys have got more than enough speed to handle it and get the gold medal.”

Reflecting Lyles’ confidence, the 4×100 relay team qualified for the final impressively, finishing well ahead of their competitors during the heats. However, we wish him a speedy recovery!