SAINT-DENIS, France — The night American sprinter Noah Lyles won a bronze medal, he had a fever of around 102 degrees Fahrenheit, according to his coach Lance Brauman.
It's what made that medal, in his last sprint at the Paris Games, all the more impressive to Brauman, who described the sprinter's condition and future Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.
Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and finished third in Thursday's 200-meter final behind Botswana's Letsile Tebogo and American teammate Kenneth Bednarek. «Those guys raced great,» Brauman said. «But to get a bronze medal in 19.70 with a temperature of about 102, that wasn't too bad.» To Brauman, the performance ranks right up there with the one Lyles delivered to win gold in the 100 on Sunday. «It's hard to replace a gold medal in the 100 meters at the Olympic Games… that one was probably the most important medal,» Brauman said. «How did he put it, we talked about it — he will have the most satisfaction out of the bronze.» Lyles, 27, was back at the track Friday night wearing a protective mask while accepting his bronze medal.
He did a lap around the track waving to fans but kept his distance from Tebogo and Bednarek. There will be other chances, Brauman said, because Lyles is just entering his prime. «He's going to be really good through L.A.