The last time a sprinter won the 100- and 200-meter events at the Olympics, the record belonged to Usain Bolt.
He was the star from Jamaica who had staked a legitimate — and perhaps indisputable — claim to earn the title of fastest man alive.
Lyles had a chance to ensure his name belonged in any of those conversations, but he settled for a bronze medal after Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo won gold and Team USA’s Kenny Bednarek won silver.
It was revealed after the race that Lyles ran with COVID-19 after being diagnosed two days prior, and he was taken off the track on a wheelchair after laying down in exhaustion.
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Earlier this week, Lyles became the first Team USA athlete to win the 100-meter sprint in 20 years, with a photo-finish victory in 9.784 seconds.
He’s still expected to compete in the 4×100-meter relay final, too, despite not racing in the heat to get Team USA there.
But before that, he had a chance to add some more history to his 2024 Olympics, and Lyles, in a rare scenario, fell short.
