Health problems associated with asthma and a positive test for COVID-19 did not prevent the American Noah Lyles from starting in the final of the 200 meters at the Olympic Games in Paris and winning a bronze medal.
Photo: TASR/AP – Denes Erdos
Noah Lyles with the gold medal.
According to his coach Lanc Brauman, Lyles was supposed to run the final with a temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, or 38.9 °C. However, the Olympic 100m champion from Paris does not think he competed in high temperatures.
“I haven’t been over 37.2. Whenever I’ve had COVID before, it’s never been about high temperatures. It’s always been about body aches, chills, headaches and cold,” Lyles told The Associated Press.
“However, I was worried about the bronchitis getting worse when the asthma was added to it. Not much was missing and I would have to end up in the hospital. I consulted it at the health center near the track. If it was bronchitis, it could spread to others and that would be a problem,” added Lyles.
He has a reputation as an overly confident, even “self-centered” athlete. In this regard, the 27-year-old American says that many do not understand that this is his way to increase his own value as an athlete.
The calculation of his medical diagnoses from the past is quite varied. Along with asthma, Lyles admitted that he also struggled with dyslexia, anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity.
“Bullying left all that in me. I was bullied at school. It was very difficult, I wasn’t a traditional student and I didn’t do well.
I had a hard time coping with it, because in the established school system they made me feel that I was stupid. I felt that I had no value,” added the six-time world champion in 100, 200 and 4×100 m.
Lyles also managed to overcome difficult life moments with the help of his mother. He also talked about his new sports vision during the interview, which was joined by his mom, Keisha Caine Bishop, who narrated a 30-second shot about her son.
“Criticizing another person is easy, everyone can do that. But it takes courage to go to that person and help them. I know that people from the outside see his self-confidence as arrogance, but what do we want from people? It makes me sad that they have to to criticize someone who has big goals and puts them first.
It’s better to have goals and go after them, even if it doesn’t work out, than to sit at home and think about yourself all your life,” said Bishop.
Lyles left Olympic Paris with a negative test for COVID-19 and a clear vision for the future. The priority will be next year’s World Championships in Tokyo, but he also wants to be more involved in music and fashion, he wants to deal with the purchase of a house and deepen his relationship with Jamaican sprinter Junelle Bromfield.
“I’m excited to see where my journey can take me. And I also feel good about God’s plans that I am a part of. He thinks much further than I do,” added Lyles.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
