American sprinter Noah Lyles has been forced to settle for the bronze in the Olympic 200 metres, before requiring medical treatment and confirming he has Covid.

Moments after his hopes of a 200-metre gold medal and a famous sprint double were ended by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, Lyles received medical attention from medics who took him from the track in a wheelchair.

Soon afterwards, wearing a mask as he spoke with reporters, the US athlete said he had Covid.

After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and writhed in pain. He stayed down for nearly 30 seconds before getting up, asking for water and getting to the wheelchair.

“It definitely affected my performance,” the American said.

It is  the second successive Olympics that  the virus has played a major role in Lyles’ story.

He also won the bronze in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and he has said the empty stands and the year-long delay before the Games led to a depression that hampered his performance.

Lyles said he tested positive on Tuesday and quickly got into quarantine.

“I still wanted to run,” he said. “They said it was possible.”

The US track federation released a statement saying it and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee had adhered to all Olympic and Centres for Disease Control guidelines.

The men’s 4×100-metre relay is set for Friday. Lyles had been expected to run the anchor leg in what many thought would be a quest for a third gold medal in Paris.

He said that decision had not been made as of late Thursday (Paris time).

Tebogo led all the way to win to 200 metres in 19.46 seconds with Kenny Bednarek second in 19.62. Lyles, four nights after winning the 100 metres, ran the curve in 19.70