Noah Lyles did same thing ordinary Americans do every day: He went to work sick

SAINT-DENIS, France — Given the chance, almost anyone would have done what Noah Lyles did. Probably already have, with far less at stake.

Lyles raced the 200 meters Thursday night after being diagnosed with COVID early Tuesday morning. In other words, he went to work sick. Just as countless Americans do every day. Because they can’t take time off work. Because they don’t want to get behind. Because they don’t really feel that bad. Because, because, because.

In Lyles’ case, he had a gold medal to win and history to chase.

Having already won the 100 meters earlier this week, Lyles wanted to join Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt in that exclusive club of sprinters who won gold in both the 100 and 200 in the same Olympics. The goal has fueled him these last several years, and winning the double at last year’s world championships let him know it was within reach.

And then he got sick.

Lyles said he woke up in the middle of the night Monday with chills, a sore throat and his body aching. He recognized the symptoms, having had COVID before, and a test early Tuesday confirmed he had it. He moved into a hotel so he wouldn’t expose others and began taking Paxlovid, an antiviral medication that accelerates recovery.

The idea of not racing never crossed his mind, even if he didn’t have his usual speed. Lyles won the bronze medal, finishing a distant third behind Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and fellow American Kenny Bednarek.

“No, no, no. I was going to compete regardless,” Lyles said. “If I didn’t make it to the finals, that would’ve been the sign not to compete.”

Had this been the Tokyo Olympics, or the Beijing Winter Games, that choice wouldn’t have been Lyles’ to make. Athletes were required to be vaccinated ahead of both those Games and undergo regular testing. If they tested positive, they were sent to quarantine, Olympic dreams be damned.

But enough people have either been vaccinated or had COVID, or both, that it’s no longer the terrifying threat it once was. People aren’t dying by the millions and hospitals aren’t being overrun. Thanks to science, and enough people believing in it, we’ve tamed a devastating pandemic to the point it can now be treated like many other respiratory illnesses.

There were no vaccination requirements for these Games, either from the International Olympic Committee or U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. No testing of any kind, either.

The USOPC says it is following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control, which now says someone with COVID can resume normal activities if their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours. Lyles says they have been, calling himself “90 to 95%”

“After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight,” the USOPC and USA Track and Field said in a statement. “We respect his decision and will condition to monitor his condition closely.”

Lyles is an asthmatic, which means COVID can be a bigger threat to him than other people. But he’s vaccinated. He took precautions to protect others, including wearing a mask before and after his race.

He’s also a grown man who, at 27, can decide for himself whether he should race or not.

“It definitely affected my performance,” Lyles said. “But to be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything – coming out and getting a bronze medal with COVID, three days ago.”

Lyles is hardly the first to decide being so close to accomplishing a lifelong dream — whether that’s standing atop a medals podium or simply being able to say they competed at the Olympics — outweighs any health risk.

Kerri Strug vaulted on an ankle that was severely sprained and had two torn tendons, and has defended her decision repeatedly. Emil Zatopek won the 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter and marathon golds at the 1952 Olympics after defying his doctor’s orders not to compete because of a gland infection. The marathon winner at the 1904 Olympics nearly died because of the extreme heat.

But ordinary people make similar calculations every day. Sometimes we stay in bed, loading up on chicken soup, orange juice and bad TV until whatever bug we have passes.

Sometimes we don’t have that luxury, though, and we haul ourselves out of bed and into work or whatever else we have to do. That’s what Lyles did.

Sometimes Olympians really are like the rest of us.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Noah Lyles ran 200 while sick, never considered not running