Noah Lyles Got a Yellow Card During the 200 Meter Final, but What Was the Card For?

After his shocking win in the 100 meter dash, Noah Lyles only earned the bronze medal in the 200 meter, which is the event he is usually better at. After the race, we learned that Noah had been diagnosed with COVID-19, which explained why he had to be wheeled off the track after the race.

There was plenty of controversy following the news that Noah Lyles had decided to race after a positive COVID diagnosis, but that's not the only controversy around Lyles's 200 meter race. He also got a yellow card during the race, leading to many what that means, and why he was given the card.

Why did Noah Lyles get a yellow card during the 200 meter final?

Noah got a yellow card during the 200 meter final not for his COVID diagnosis, but for "improper conduct." Yellow cards are used in track and field in the same way they are used in sports like soccer, as a warning to athletes that they have done something to violate the rules. As in soccer, a yellow card can be followed by a red, which means that the athlete will be removed from the race.

Noah was issued his yellow card after the race, which means that his race was never in danger of not counting. Following the news that he had received a yellow card amid all the other drama that happened to him after the race, many wanted to learn more about exactly why the yellow card was issued, and what "improper conduct" Noah was supposedly guilty of.

What sort of 'improper conduct' did Noah Lyles commit?

Noah's "improper conduct" occurred as part of his usual pre-race tradition. During Olympic finals, the athletes are introduced one at a time on to the track so that they can take their starting position. Most athletes are pretty relaxed. They stop for the camera and then walk to the starting block to begin their race. Noah takes a different, and more rambunctious, approach.

During the 200 meter final, Noah jumped around in an attempt to hype up the crowd, yelling and running around in a way that is characteristic of his over-the-top persona. While he was hyping the crowd, Noah apparently smacked the box in his lane that had a speaker attached to it. That speaker is designed to make sure that all athletes hear the starting gun go off simultaneously so that no one has an unfair starting advantage.

When Noah knocked his speaker box, the number fell off of it, and he was handed a yellow card for being in violation of Technical Rule 7.1, which details "improper conduct." Thankfully, it wasn't a more serious violation, and Noah's race was allowed to stand.

While Noah was the heavy favorite headed into the race, his COVID diagnosis suggested that he wasn't 100 percent. In fact, while it may have been questionable to expose those around him to the illness, it is nonetheless impressive to be the third fastest man in the world at that distance even as you're dealing with the effects of COVID-19.