Fans think they spotted something that Noah Lyles did before running his 200m final.
The American athlete was one of the favourites ahead of the 200m Olympic final on Thursday (8 August), having won gold by just 0.005 seconds in the 100m final on Sunday (4 August), with a time of 9.784.
With that win, he proved all of his doubters wrong, following up on his promise to become world champion, after calling out American sports for giving themselves the ‘world title’ despite only competing in their national league.
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Lyles came up short in the 200m final. (Elsa/Getty Images)
However, in the 200m final, Lyles came up short, finishing the race in third, winning a respectable bronze medal for Team USA.
The 27-year-old finished with a time of 19.70, 0.17 off his season best, but even achieving that time would not have beaten gold medal winner Letsile Tebogo, who crossed the line in 19.46 seconds.
Prior to the race though, it was reported that the US sprinter was suffering with an illness, that was undisclosed until afterwards.
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It took just minutes after the 200m final finished, when it was confirmed that Lyles had tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday morning.
It provides an explanation to the way he exited the track, as he received medical attention after the finish before being taken away in a wheelchair.
There aren’t any regulations or rules in place when it comes to Covid, so the sprinter could compete as long as he felt fit and healthy enough to do so.
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Following the race, Tebogo said that he was not fit to be the face of athletics as he was not an ‘arrogant or loud person’ like Lyles, though many African reporters came to his defence, warning the western media not to take the comments seriously, as English is the Botswana sprinter’s second language, suggesting that he was probably talking about the positive energy from the 100m gold medallist.
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Lyles displayed some of that energy off before the 200m final, as he does before most events, sprinting across the width of the track in front of competitors when he was announced.
Fans in the stadium were thrilled as he made his way to them, welcoming them with applause and cheers.
However, some fans thought that he was too confident too quickly, with one sharing on X: “He is so easy to dislike,” while another added, “Never celebrate too early.”
The American sprinter received medical treatment after the race. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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A third said: “Wasted energy that should have been conserved for the race to dramatise.
“I hope he is humble now.”
Despite the doubt, he spoke after the race about the effects that the Covid-19 diagnosis had on his performance: “I have definitely had better days but I am walking around again.
“I was quite light headed after that race and the chest pain was definitely active.
“After a while, I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me. I am feeling a lot better now. It definitely affected my performance.”
Lyles was meant to compete in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays today and tomorrow, but said that the 200m marked the ‘end of my 2024 Olympics’.
Olympics 2024 highlights – the biggest moments so far Anthony Ammirati’s penis costs him his medal
The 21-year-old French pole vaulter attempted to clear the 5.70 metres on 3 August when his knee – along with his private parts – got in the way, shattering his Olympic dreams.
Iconic shooter Yusuf Dikec wins silver medal with ‘no equipment’.webp)
Yusuf Dikec became a viral sensation. (Eurosport)
Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec took a laid back approach when he was spotted looking incredibly relaxed with one hand in his pocket and without any shooting gear on.
It all paid off though as he took home the silver along with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan.
Noah Lyles’ 100m victory 
He set a personal best (Eurosport)
Setting a new personal best, Lyles came out on top at the finish line by a margin of just 0.005 seconds, with a final time of 9.784.
The final also marked the fastest race of all time, with all eight athletes crossing the finish line in under 10 seconds.
George Mills and Hugo Hay’s 5000m bust up
Chaos erupted when a total of five athletes found themselves face down on the track after an incident left several runners stumbling on top of each other, including Team GB’s George Mills and French runner Hugo Hay.
Mills looked as though he had some harsh words for Hay after the tumble which he admitted he was ‘probably not allowed to say’.
Snoop Dogg in general
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Ana Carolina Vieira gets sent home for breaking athletes’ village rules with boyfriend .webp)
The swimmer was sent home after her actions. (Instagram/_anavieeiraa)
Ana Carolina Vieira was sent home after she and her boyfriend Gabriel Santos – also a swimmer competing in the Olympics – left the village without permission, which is against the Olympic Village rules.
Team GB star becomes first ever Olympian to win medal in both male and female events
Henry Fieldman (bottom left) made history. (henryfieldman/Instagram)
Coxswain Henry Fieldman made history when he won bronze at the women’s crews event off the back of his bronze win in Tokyo on the men’s team.
Fieldman was able to achieve the feat because of a rule change back in 2017 that allows coxes of either gender to steer the eights.
The River Seine drama .webp)
Tyler Mislawchuk threw up after his race (BBC)
While Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk vomited after swimming in the river, Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen admitted she ‘felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much’.
It came after health concerns were raised over the pollution levels in the river, with the country splashing out a cool £1.18 billion on cleaning it up in time for the games.
Freddie Crittenden jogs for entire race on purpose
The Team USA star purposely put on a leisurely performance in his first heat of the Men’s 110m hurdles and ended up being the last one to make it across the finish line with a time of 18.27 seconds.
The athlete said it was a calculated move to avoid aggravating a sore muscle in his leg and due to the introduction of repechage rounds, he knew that he’d have another chance at glory.
‘Slow pool’ accusations
The pool at the Paris La Défense Arena is 2.15 metres deep which is short of the minimum of 2.5 metres that World Aquatics recommends for an Olympic competition, prompting backlash from viewers.
As a result of the difference in depth, an issue called ‘slow’ swimming is created where the water is more volatile when dispersed than in a deeper pool.
Imane Khelif’s opponent quits boxing match 46 seconds in 
Italy’s Angela Carini has since apologised (Eurosport)
The Algerian boxer faced Italy’s Angela Carini in the round of 16 match on 1 August when Carini – who has since apologised – decided to abandon the match after 46 seconds.
Khelif – who was born and raised a girl – was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi amid claims from the International Boxing Association that she was not able to meet their unspecified eligibility criteria.
Khelif has since been at the centre of a gender row, and has urged people to ‘refrain from bullying all athletes’ amid abuse online.
Luana Alonso ‘kicked out’ of Olympic Village
Luana Alonso took to social media to break her silence (Instagram/@luanalonsom)
The Paraguayan swimmer was said to have been asked to leave the village amid accusations of creating an ‘inappropriate environment’, according to a statement from her team.
Alonso – who also announced her retirement from the sport – has since denied the claims and urged people to ‘stop spreading false information’.
Gold medal winner Thomas Ceccon spotted sleeping in park amid village complaints .webp)
Ceccon having a cheeky snooze. (Instagram)
The athlete, who won gold in the men’s 100m backstroke, was spotted taking a nap outside by Saudi rower Husein Alireza who posted it to his Instagram account, tagging the spot as a location within the official Olympic Village.
Speaking about his accommodation, Ceccon said: “It’s hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon. Usually, when I’m at home, I always sleep in the afternoon. Here I really struggle between the heat and the noise.”
Steven van de Velde booed while making his Olympic debut
Steven van de Velde is a convicted child rapist (Eurosport)
The convicted child rapist was booed as he competed in the preliminary phase of the beach volleyball men’s tournament at the start of the games last month.
In 2016, Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape against a 12-year-old girl in August 2014, with many furious that he has been allowed to compete in the Olympics.
Featured Image Credit: Elsa/Getty Images / BBC
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