When people get COVID-19, they typically park themselves in bed or on the couch with plenty of Kleenex nearby. Not Noah Lyles. When he gets COVID, he wins bronze medals at the Olympics.
At least that’s what the American sprinter did Thursday during the 200-meter Olympics final in Paris, France, according to ESPN. He told reporters that he ran the race with COVID two days after being diagnosed with the viral infection while wearing a black K95 mask.
“I woke up in the middle of the night just feeling really chills, aching, sore throat,” he explained.
It seems that we’ve come a long way from 2020, when the Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Lyles was able to access medications such as Paxlovid to fight off the infection. He left the Olympic village after he was diagnosed and quarantined in a nearby hotel.
Before the diagnosis, Lyles won gold in the men’s 100-meter Olympic final Sunday. Since last year he’s held the top world ranking for both the 100 meter and the 200. According to his Olympics bio, the 27-year-old from Alexandria, Va., planned to win four gold medals at the games.
Even with COVID, he still wanted to compete.
“I still wanted to run; they said it was still possible,” Lyles said. “So we just stayed away from everybody and just tried to take it round by round. And to be honest, I knew if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I had from the get-go. I didn’t have any time to save energy.”
When he finished the race, Lyles laid flat on his back. Athletic trainers and medical staff then surrounded him.
“I was quite lightheaded after that race, and the shortness of breath and chest pain was definitely active,” said Lyles, who also suffers from asthma. “But after a while underneath, I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me. I’m doing a lot better now.”
Lyles kept quiet about his diagnosis and said the he didn’t want anyone to panic – or give his competitors an edge. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won gold in the 200-meter Lyles ran while sick and USA athlete Kenny Bednarek won silver. Both athletes said they were not concerned about Lyles getting them sick.
Cardiologist Dan Anderson, MD, PhD, told Nebraska Medicine’s Advancing Health that exercise is not usually recommended for people battling a COVID-19 infection.
“We know COVID-19 can cause myocarditis and heart damage,” he said. “While COVID-19 is damaging your cells, the worst thing you could do is stress your heart and damage it even more.”
According to ESPN, Lyles wasn’t sure Thursday if he would still participate in the 4x100-meter relay at 1:45 p.m. ET Friday.
“I’ll talk to the coaches,” he said. “I’m going to be very honest and transparent with them, and I’m going to let them make the decision. I believe that no matter what happens, I believe that this 4x1 team, they can handle anything and everything. I’ve been with them in practice, and they are more than capable to come out with a win and even break as many records as they take their mind to.”