“I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics.

It is not the Olympics I dreamed of, but it has left me with so much joy in my heart.

I hope everyone enjoyed the show.

Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you?”Lyles aimed to complete a rare treble of 100m, 200m, and 4x100m golds at the same Olympics.

Only four men have won the triple at the same Games, and after a dramatic photo finish on Monday night, Lyles still had hopes of joining American greats Jesse Owens (1936), Bobby Morrow (1956), and Carl Lewis (1984), as well as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (2012 and 2016), on the list.

But, just like his semi-final the previous night, Lyles came off the bend trailing Tebogo and never caught him.

Tebogo became the first African to win the title, setting an African record and claiming Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal.

Former US Olympic great Michael Johnson challenged the notion of Lyles having an injury while on punditry duties for the BBC before news of the COVID diagnosis filtered through.

“He certainly isn’t carrying an injury because you can’t do this with an injury, you can’t run 19.

70,” he said.

“If there’s anything, there’s some sort of illness that has zapped his energy from the ability to carry that speed all the way through.

”Shortly afterwards, US Track and Field (USATF) broke the news that the bronze medallist ran the race after testing positive for COVID.

A USATF statement read: “We can confirm that Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

In response, the USOPC and USATF swiftly enacted all necessary protocols to prioritize his health, the wellbeing of our team, and the safety of fellow competitors.

Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete.

After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight.

We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.

As an organization, we are rigorously adhering to IOC guidelines for respiratory illnesses to prevent the spread of illness among team members, safeguarding their health and performance.

”Tebogo, who won bronze at the worlds last year and set a national record of 9.

86s when finishing sixth in the Paris 100m final, produced a dominant run to become the fifth-fastest man in history over 200m.

Bednarek chased him all the way to take a second successive silver in 19.

62s.

Lyles and Bednarek were set to team up for the men’s 4x100m relay in which the USA would have been strong favourites to win gold and take the crown from Italy, who shocked the world in Tokyo, but Lyles’s apparent withdrawal gives other nations more of a chance to pinch the Olympic title away from the Americans.