World
Botswana upset Lyles as France reach men's basketball final
Noah Lyles reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 two days before the race. The latest from the Paris Olympics.
The French men’s basketball team beat Germany 73 to 69 to face Olympic champions United States in the final on Saturday after their narrow 95-91 win over Serbia, which earned them their fifth consecutive Olympic final.
France remain the most successful European team in Paris, followed by the UK and the Netherlands – which added another gold to the tally with a victory against Germany in field hockey.
Italy trail behind the Dutch, despite retaining their Olympic title mixed team multihull.
China remain second in the medal table, after another victory in diving, while leaders United States were handed a painful defeat in the men’s 200 meters, as Botswans’s Letsile Tebogo finished ahead of American star Noah Lyles.
Lyles reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 two days before the race, with chills, aches and sore throat.
Joy for Morocco in football, who routed Egypt 6-0 to earn their first-ever podium placement at the Olympics.
Lyles ‘proud’ of bronze result despite COVID-19
Wearing a mask, Lyles told reporters he had COVID but decided to compete anyway.
After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and writhed on the ground trying to catch his breath. He got to one knee and stayed there for nearly 30 seconds before getting up, asking for water and getting to the wheelchair.
“It definitely was an effect,” Lyles said. “But I mean, to be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything for coming out and getting the bronze medal with COVID.”
Lyles said he tested positive early Tuesday morning and quickly got into quarantine.
“I still wanted to run,” he said. “They said it was possible.”
“After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight,” the US track federation said in a statement.
“We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.”
In the 200, Letsile Tebogo, 21, led wire-to-wire and won in 19.46 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in history.
Kenny Bednarek finished in 19.62 for his second straight silver.
Lyles was trailing as they headed into the homestretch, which is usually where he puts on a trademark closing finish that has always been the best part of a race that, before this week, he hadn’t lost since the third-place finish in Tokyo.
This time — nothing. Only a desperate push to the line then a collapse onto the purple track.
“To be honest, I knew if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I had from the get-go,” he said. “I didn’t have any time to save energy. So that was kind of the strategy for today.”
The men’s 4×100 relay is set for Friday, and Lyles was expected to run the anchor leg in what many thought would be a quest for a third gold medal in Paris. He said he would talk to his teammates and come to a decision.
“I want to be very honest and transparent, and I’m going to let them make the decision,” Lyles said, describing himself as being at around 90 or 95%.