Paris Olympics: Noah Lyles Surprised by Injury Tebogo in 200

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SAINT-DENIS, France — Noah Lyles’ historic bid for an Olympic sprint double ended in a humiliating defeat.

The world’s most unbeatable 200-meter runner, the man who just four days ago insisted he would leave his rivals “depressed” as he came out of a bend, lost his most important race.

Lyles didn’t appear to be in his usual stride from the start of the men’s 200-meter Olympic final on Thursday night. The American fell behind early and struggled to make up ground as he rounded the bend, leaving him too far behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo to catch before they reached the finish line.

Tebogo won in 19.46 seconds. American Kenny Bednarek took silver in 19.62 seconds. Lyles settled for bronze in 19.70 seconds, well short of his personal best and even further away from Usain Bolt’s world record that he was keen to break.

After the race ended, Lyles was on the track and appeared to receive medical attention.

Lyles had hoped to become the first American man to complete the Olympic sprint double since Carl Lewis 40 years ago. He appeared well on his way after winning the closest 100 meters in Olympic history on Sunday night, diving at the finish line to beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five thousandths of a second.

That Lyles didn’t add the 200 gold to his haul is a huge surprise. This race is Lyles’ specialty, his first love, the event that comes most naturally to him.

The 100 punishes Lyles because he struggles to get out of the starting blocks as quickly as other world-class sprinters. He has spent years tinkering with his start endlessly, trying to find a way to stay within 30 meters without sacrificing his ability to reach and maintain maximum speed.

The 200 lessens the impact of Lyles’ mediocre starts and highlights the qualities that make him special. The two-time reigning 200 world champion maintains his speed as well as any sprinter since Usain Bolt, typically allowing him to swallow up everyone in front of him as he rounds the corner and sprints toward the finish line.

When asked earlier this week how confident he was of winning the men’s 200 meters, Lyles grinned and said, “Pretty confident, I can’t lie.”

Speaking specifically about fellow American Kenny Bednarek, Lyles added: “That guy doesn’t win. None of them win.”

In retrospect, perhaps there should have been more concern on Wednesday when Lyles suffered a rare loss in the semifinals of the 200. He got off to a slow start, languished in third place as he came off the curve and never caught up with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.

In the 100, Lyles also lost his semifinal, but he came through when it mattered. In the 200, his favorite race, Lyles could not repeat that feat.