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Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of 3rd-place finish in 200m

Lyles reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 two days before running in the 200-meter final.

Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Letsile Tebogo of Botswana crosses the finish line followed by Kenneth Bednarek of the United States, center, and Noah Lyles of the United States during the men's 200-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.

By: Scripps News Staff

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American sprinter Noah Lyles was denied a double sprinting gold at the Paris Olympics.

Lyles finished third in the 200-meter, behind Botswana's Leslie Tebogo and American Kenny Bednarek.

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Lyles appeared to struggle on the homestretch, where he is known for taking control of a race.

Immediately after crossing the finish line, Lyles appeared to be in distress, asking for water and having trouble breathing. On the NBC broadcast, it was revealed Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 two days ago. There was speculation about whether Lyles was feeling 100% after he was seen wearing a mask before the race.

Lyles took the gold on Sunday in the 100-meter event, beating Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by just five-thousandths of a second.

Lyles was the first American to win gold in the men's 100-meter sprint since 2004. He was attempting to be the first American to win gold in the 200-meter and the 100-meter in 40 years.

American Carl Lewis did it in 1984. Usain Bolt of Jamaica pulled off the double in 2012 and 2016.