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Noah Lyles has defended the reason behind his pre-race gimmicks ahead of the 200m final despite being sick with the COVID-19 virus.
Noah Lyles has defended his pre-race gimmicks despite being sick, noting that it was the only way he could himself psyched up for the men’s 200m final.
Going into the race, Lyles had not confirmed he was unwell and did his usual stunts before taking to the track. The three-time world 200m champion confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 just after finishing the race third behind Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek.
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He explained that people came at him, comparing his pre-race psyche and how unconscious he was after the race. Some claimed that the loss bruised his ego and the only way he could let that slide was by claiming he was unwell.
However, the triple world champion defended himself, noting that the stunts were to get him into the mood of competing. The two-time Olympic 200m bronze medallist explained that he had to trick his mind going into the race. Lyles added that only champions are aware of such things.
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“If I didn’t do that, I would not have been able to encourage myself to get excited to run the race. I had to go in, tricking my mind and my body that I was going to run just as well as any other day as I was going to run on that day. But that’s stuff that only a champion would know,” Lyles said.
Due to the sickness, the reigning Olympic 100m champion’s dream of winning triple gold could not be realized. Lyles managed to win the gold in the 100m, crossing the finish line in 9.79 seconds ahead of Kishane Thompson (9.79) and Fred Kerley (9.81).
He did not compete in the men’s 4x100m relay. However, the American quartet that competed was disqualified due to baton exchange irregularities.
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