COVID-STRICKEN Noah Lyles was yellow carded and taken out in a wheelchair as he missed out on an epic Olympic sprint double.
Jamaica legend Usain Bolt won 100m and 200m gold at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
GettyNoah Lyles came third in the 200m[/caption]
ReutersHe was beaten by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo[/caption]
BBCHe collapsed to the floor after the race[/caption]
GettyHe was taken away in a wheelchair[/caption]
GettyUsain Bolt won the 100m and 200m at London and Rio[/caption]
And Lyles, 27, was aiming to follow in his footsteps with another thrilling victory in Paris.
But in truth, he was always trailing Letsile Tebogo, who claimed Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in a staggering 19.46 seconds – five days after Julien Alfred secured Saint Lucia’s maiden gold in the women’s 100m final.
That was also the fifth-fastest time ever recorded in history – behind only Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Lyles and Michael Johnson.
After his stunning 100m victory on Sunday – winning by 0.005 seconds in a dramatic photo finish – American Lyles only qualified as third fastest for the 200m final.
His 20.08 seconds time was beaten by both Tebogo (19.96) and Bednarek (20.00).
But many expected the ultimate showman Lyles to turn on the style when it mattered most.
The 200m world champion came bounding out once again, jumping up and down along the track before settling into his blocks in lane five – but only after kicking them, earning himself a yellow card for “improper conduct”.
Lyles got a quick start however Tebogo, 21, flew out of the blocks and never looked in trouble.
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Lyles did his best to chase down Bednarak down the home straight but the gap was too much as the superstar American crossed in 19.70 seconds and settled for another bronze in the 200m – just like in Tokyo three years ago.
He looked sluggish in the closing stages and collapsed on the track afterwards clearly struggling to breathe as medics came to his aid, pulling him away in a wheelchair.
It then transpired he had Covid – despite hugging compatriot Bednarek at the end.
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson insisted that Lyles was not carrying an injury due to the time he still managed to achieve.
Speaking on the BBC, he said: “He certainly isn’t carrying an injury because you can’t do this with an injury, you can’t run 19.70.
“If there’s anything, there’s some sort of illness that has zapped his energy from the ability to actually carry that speed all the way through.
“[The medics] would’ve given him the OK to race, he’s probably not in danger of anything by racing other than being 100 percent and able to perform the way that he would want to.”
Tebogo’s mum died in May and the champ had her date of birth on his trainers and said: “It was really a beautiful race for me.
Mum is watching up there, and she’s really, really happy. I didn’t want to put the date of her death, because I’ll get emotional.
“I took about three weeks to a month without doing anything. It wasn’t really clicking for me that she’s really gone.”
More to follow…
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