Noah Lyles Singles Out Gold Medalist Who Beat Him in 200M Final

Noah Lyles had a rough day, but he still showed respect to the gold medal winner of the men's 200-meter final on Thursday, August 8.

Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, who finished in 19.46 seconds and made history as the first African to win the event, bested both Lyles and USA teammate Kenny Bednarek, who finished bronze and silver, respectively.

After the race, Lyles took to X (formerly Twitter) to pay tribute to his fellow sprinter.

"LETSILE TEBOGO congratulations 🍾 Ik you have had a very rough year off the track and despite that you overcame it all!" Lyles wrote.

The 27-year-old American track star admitted to reporters postrace that he had tested positive for COVID-19 two days prior but still decided to race, which his mom confirmed to NBC .

Immediately after the race, Lyles fell to the ground in exhaustion before heading to receive medical attention in a wheelchair .

"My first thought was not to panic," Lyles told reporters after his bronze medal performance on Thursday. "I'm thinking I've been in worse situations. I've run with worse conditions, I felt, and we just took it day by day, trying to hydrate as much, quarantined off, and I'd definitely say that it's taken its toll for sure."

Related: Noah Lyles Flagged for Surprise 'Improper Conduct' Violation at 200M Final