American sprinter Noah Lyles was the favourite to race to victory on Thursday (8 August) in the 200m Olympic final.
Four days earlier, the 27-year-old had bagged the gold in the 100m final with an impressive time of 9.784 seconds.
And, with the 200m race being his specialism, it was looking like he’d do the double.
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Unfortunately for Lyles, it wasn’t meant to be. He finished third place behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and fellow American Kenny Bednarek.
Noah Lyles cinched the bronze medal in the 200m final at the Paris Olympics (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Prior to the race, it was reported that the US sprinter was unwell, although it wasn’t disclosed what he was suffering from.
Just minutes after the 200m final finished, it was confirmed that Lyles had tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday morning.
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Paris 2024 doesn’t have any rules in place when it comes to the virus and athletes are free to compete with Covid as long as they feel healthy enough to do so.
But the race certainly took its toll on Lyles, who received medical attention after the race finished before being taken off the track in a wheelchair.
But fans think he wasted too much energy during his pre-race entrance (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
In contrast, the sprinter was highly energetic before the race started, sprinting across the track in front of his competitors when his name was announced.
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While he was met with cheers in the stadium, fans on X (formerly Twitter) have all said the same thing about his pre-race showing.
One user said: “Save your energy, Noah!!”
Another wrote: “This warm up show off from Noah Lyles is pure energy burn before a massive effort.”
A third commented: “Noah Lyles’ flamboyant introduction to the Paris 2024 Men’s Olympic 200m Final, perhaps he should have saved some energy for the race?”
A fourth said: “Wasted energy that should have been conserved for the race to dramatise,” and a fifth joked: “Bro used up 30% of his energy for his entrance show.”
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Following the race, Lyles spoke about the effects Covid had on his performance.
“I have definitely had better days but I am walking around again,” he said.
“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.”
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He was meant to compete in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays yesterday and today, but dropped out so he can continue to recover.
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Yusuf Dikec became a viral sensation. (Eurosport)
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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.
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Mills looked as though he had some harsh words for Hay after the tumble which he admitted he was ‘probably not allowed to say’.
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The swimmer was sent home after her actions. (Instagram/_anavieeiraa)
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Henry Fieldman (bottom left) made history. (henryfieldman/Instagram)
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Tyler Mislawchuk threw up after his race (BBC)
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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.
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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.
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Khelif has since been at the centre of a gender row, and has urged people to ‘refrain from bullying all athletes’ amid abuse online.
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Luana Alonso took to social media to break her silence (Instagram/@luanalonsom)
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Ceccon having a cheeky snooze. (Instagram)
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Featured Image Credit: Hannah Peters/Getty Images/X
Topics: Sport, Olympics, Health, Twitter
