Noah Lyles Ran Olympic 200m Final with COVID; Needed Wheelchair After Bronze Medal

United States star Noah Lyles, who was taken off the track in a wheelchair after winning bronze in the 200-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, competed after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Lyles, visibly exhausted, sat down on the track after completing the race and received medical attention just past the finish line.

Lyles finished Thursday's race in 19.70 seconds, just behind his United States teammate Kenny Bednarek, who won silver, and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, who won gold.

Though Lyles earned bronze, ESPN's Coley Harvey reported that he was given a yellow card for violating Technical Rule 7.1, which falls under "improper conduct." Why he was given the penalty is still unclear.

Lyles has had an impressive showing at his second Olympics. Last week, the 27-year-old gave the United States its first gold medal in the 100-meter since 2004, beating Jamaica's Kishane Thompson in a photo finish. Lyles finished with a personal-best time of 9.784 while Thompson finished with a time of 9.789.

The bronze medal on Thursday gives him his second medal of this year's games and third of his Olympic career, as he also won bronze in the 200-meter in Toyko in 2021.

Lyles was scheduled to compete with the men's 4x100-meter relay team on Thursday morning but sat out as the team qualified for the final. Whether he will compete with them moving forward is unclear.