Olympic Runner Noah Lyles Competes With COVID-19

After track and field sprinter Noah Lyles finished the men’s 200-meter dash on Thursday in third place, he immediately needed medical attention. The 27-year-old couldn’t seem to catch his breath and was taken off the track in a wheelchair. 

At first, it seemed like Lyles might have been having an asthma attack—he’s dealt with asthma since he was a child. But it turns out Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday morning after waking up with a sore throat, aches, and chills, per Yahoo! Sports. Lyles quarantined up until the 200m semifinal on Wednesday, where he finished second, according to AP News. After the semis, Lyles’ coach said he was “fine.”

In an interview after Thursday’s 200-meter finals, Lyles said: “I still wanted to run. They said it was possible.”

And it was: Lyles came away with a bronze medal.

“To be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything—coming out and getting a bronze medal with COVID,” Lyles said after the race. He had been vocal about wanting to go for double gold after winning the men’s 100m on Sunday. 

While Lyles dropped out of the upcoming 4x100m relay on Friday, his choice to compete with COVID has received sharply different reactions from social media and athletes, and many questions about how it was allowed. 

Why was Lyles allowed to race?

A statement released from USA Track & Field (USATF) said their organization, along with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, followed the guidelines laid out by the Olympics and Centers for Disease Control (CDC), per AP News. 

“After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely,” the statement said. 

In addition, France no longer has strict rules people with COVID need to follow, according to the Ministry of for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It’s recommended—but not required— to self-isolate, which Lyles did up until the race.

Social media reactions to Lyles racing with COVID

As to be expected, viewers took to social media to talk about Lyles competing with COVID—and many seemed to think he shouldn’t have raced and put others at risk. 

It is not heroic nor is it safe to have Noah Lyles competing while having COVID.

— mo 🍉 (@morgannychole) August 8, 2024

This is heartbreaking. Noah Lyles has asthma and is at higher risk for severe COVID. They had no preventative measures & let him race & collapse while sick with COVID. Lives & careers are being put at risk because governments & institutions insist on pretending COVID is over. pic.twitter.com/vv3dYjwdvH

— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) August 8, 2024

Noah Lyles removed from the track in a wheelchair. Adam Peaty’s sore throat as he missed gold. Lani Pallister out of her medal-race altogether. These Olympics have been a lesson in where Covid denial has got the world. Even the fittest people in the world can’t pretend it away.

— Frances Ryan (@DrFrancesRyan) August 9, 2024

Athlete reactions to Lyles racing with COVID

Lyles’ fellow track athletes appeared to be understanding about his decision to race with COVID. 

“I don’t think he put anybody at risk,” USA Today reports Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, the winner of the 200-meter final, saying. 

Kenny Bednarek, who took silver in the 200-meter final, hugged Lyles after the race and said he was “unbothered by Lyles’ decision to race,” according to USA Today. “I’m healthy,” Bednarek said. “I do everything I can to make sure my body’s healthy.” 

And Jasmine Jones, who finished fourth in the women’s 400-meter hurdles said: “That’s crazy. Congratulations to him. He’s fantastic for that. That’s really impressive. Congratulations. Hats off. Yeah, wow, I didn’t know that.”

What science says about exercising and COVID

How safe is it, on a personal level, to exercise with COVID? A 2023 review¹ in Frontiers in Physiology suggests that doing any type of mild to moderate physical activity “may decrease respiratory viral infection” compared to doing higher-intensity exercise and or being totally sedentary. And a 2023 review in Springer Nature² supports the idea that physical exercise in general can “prevent or alleviate the symptoms caused by COVID-19.”

All that to say, the chance to compete on the Olympic stage is something that may or may not come again. Lyles felt well enough to race—and race extremely well—and it makes us wonder if he could’ve achieved his double-gold goal if he hadn’t been sick.