Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo stuns Noah Lyles in thrilling men’s 200m final

Noah Lyles missed his chance to complete a sprinting double-double at the Olympics. Instead, he settled with the bronze in the 200 meters, the same result he had three years before in Tokyo.

It was Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, with a time of 19.46, who pulled off the upset. He won gold, ahead of Americans Kenny Bednarek and then Lyles.

NBC, shortly after the race, said doctors diagnosed Lyles with Covid two days before. The illness now casts doubt on whether Lyles will be available to run the anchor leg on the 4 X 100 relay.

LETSILE TEBOGO WINS THE MEN’S 200M FOR BOTSWANA! 🇧🇼 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/jL9jm4bTKZ

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2024

Medical team treated Noah Lyles on track

After the finish, Lyles sat down on the track, with the medical team checking on him. He wore a mask right before he was introduced to the crowd at Stade de France. NBC reported he had issues breathing.

Yet Noah Lyles, in the seconds before the race, sprinted onto the track for his introductions, gesturing for the crowd to get to its feet. In other words, they were about to see a show.

Instead, it was the young sprinter from Botswana who won the race. He’s 21 and was the youngest sprinter to win gold in the 200 since 1956.

Lyles desperately wanted the double-double. He wanted his name up there beside Carl Lewis, who was the last American sprinter to win both the 100 and 200 at the same Olympics. And Lewis did so in 1984, running in front of a home country crowd at the Los Angeles Olympics. Lewis, now 63, is the head coach at the University of Houston, his alma mater. Lewis was in Paris, having served as one of the featured torch bearers in the Opening Ceremony.