covid-19-stricken Noah Lyles missed out on the Olympic sprint double after failing in the men’s 200m final in Paris, with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo taking gold and America’s Kenny Bednarek taking silver.
The world champion at the distance is hoping to become the first man since Usain Bolt at the Rio 2016 Games to secure both the 100m and 200m titles.
He was able to bounce back to win the 100m gold in Paris, but this time he couldn’t make up for it not to mention the slowest reaction time of the pack.
After the race, Lyles collapsed at the back after losing his way and ended up sitting down to be treated by medics who rushed out onto the track.
He was confined to a wheelchair suffering from a case of Covid-19.
Tebogo led wire-to-wire and won in 19.46 seconds, the fourth fastest in history.
“I’m an Olympic champion, it’s something I’ve never seen in my life or in my dreams – it’s an incredible moment,” said 21-year-old Tebogo.
“I just came here with a little bit to do because yesterday we got to the final, my coach told me ‘now it’s your race’.
“I knew when the gun went Kenny was going to run, so I made sure to just close him, I had the highest speed that would allow me to finish the race without getting tired, so I did, and when I saw Kenny fade I knew Noah was far, far behind we become mean I’m an Olympic champion.
“It means a lot to everyone, the country, the continent and my family.”
Bednarek, who also won silver in Tokyo, finished in 19.62 and Lyles, four nights after his epic 100m win, ran the curve in 19.70.
Lyles was slowest out of the blocks at 0.173 seconds but had clawed his way up to third by the 20 meter mark and remained in bronze medal position for the rest of the race, finishing in 19.70.
Tebogo and Bednarek battled for position, the Americans held the lead just after the halfway point, but the Botswana race lost from the 120 meter mark and did not look close to letting go.
Lyles, who was also issued a yellow card for a violation of the starting block, was taken to a medical consultation after the race and did not stop talking to the media.
How to follow the Olympics on Sky
Stay up to date with the action from the Paris 2024 Olympics around the world Sky Sports digital platforms and Sky Sports News every day between now and Sunday August 11th.
Alongside live news blogs and updates as broken records and winning medals on skysports.com and Sky Sports application, Sky Sports News will also have a dedicated journalist on the scene in Paris during the Games to gather the latest news both inside and outside the arenas in France as well as reactions to big moments from medal winners, coaches, relatives and pundits.
Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will be integrated into Sky TV, the NOW streaming service and the Sky Sports app – giving Sky Sports subscribers access to more than 50 per cent of live sport this year at no extra cost. Stream the new EFL Season, Test cricket and other top sports with NOW.
