Noah Lyles results from 200-meter semifinals

After winning gold in the 100-meter dash on Aug. 4, American sprinter Noah Lyles returned to the track just one day later for the start of 200-meter dash competition ahead of a shot at his second gold of these Paris Olympics. Lyles won his Round 1 heat in the event, giving him good momentum entering the semifinal on Wednesday.
That said, Lyles hadn’t needed momentum in his races before. Prior to the 100-meter finals, Lyles failed to win both his Round 1 race and his semifinals race before winning when it mattered most. In fact, winning that Round 1 heat for the 200-meter may have been to his detriment as Lyles, the heavy favorite in the 200-meter would wind up only securing bronze in the finals on Thursday with a time of 19.70. He wasn’t even the highest-finishing American, with Kenny Bednarek earning silver (19.62).
While Lyles surely wants redemption following the 200-meter, he may not get the opportunity. Following Thursday’s race, Lyles was seen being attended to by medical staff. It was later revealed that he tested positive for COVID on Tuesday, but still opted to go through with his race. There is no word yet on whether or not the positive COVID test will prevent Lyles from participating in the 4×100-meter relay finals, which are set for August 9 at 1:45 p.m. ET. Here’s how Lyles has fared in every race since the 200-meter semifinals.
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Lyles finished second in his 200-meter semifinal heat with a time of 20.08 seconds. He received an automatic qualification to the final with the second-place finish.
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For the second consecutive Olympics, Lyles earned bronze in the 200-meter, which is considered Lyles’ best event. He finished with a time of 19.70 seconds, nearly a quarter of a second off from the first-place finisher: Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (19.46).
Following the 200-meter, Lyles was asked whether or not he would be participating in the relay. Lyles told NBC, “I don’t know. I’m feeling more on the side of letting Team USA do their thing.” He continued, “They’ve proven with great certainty that they can handle it without me. If that’s the case, coming off today, then I’m perfectly fine with saying, ‘Hey, you guys go do your thing. You guys have more than enough speed to go get the gold medal.'”
Lyles isn’t wrong. Round 1 of the 4×100 relay happened before the 200-meter finals, and the United States, despite Lyles’ absence finished with the fastest time of all competitors (37.47 seconds).
Date: July 24-Aug. 11
TV: Games broadcast across NBC, USA Network, E!, Telemundo, CNBC and Golf Channel
Streaming: Peacock, nbcolympics.com
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