Noah Lyles’ 200m sprint was an eventful affair due to his unexpected bronze, fans being skeptical of his speed, and his COVID-19 diagnosis. While he pulled out of the rest of his events later on, what took place immediately after the race turned out to be a nightmare for the Sprinter and his family.
Fans know Lyles for his dramatic flair and bold personality, but all hell broke loose when he attributed his missed opportunity to showcase his best pace to the illness. Several empathized with him, more so because of his asthma, which worsened the situation.
Lyles exited the race with some assistance after the sprint was over, although no one knew what exactly happened. Later, he talked about his COVID-19 diagnosis and how his health had been stable, although his mother painted a very different picture.
In a lengthy emotional post, Keisha Bishop revealed what took place on the track after the race turned out to be one of the ‘scariest moments’ of her life. While Lyles ended the race lying on the ground gasping for air, presumably with his illness affecting his asthma, she was not allowed to escort him to safety immediately.
View this post on Instagram
“This was one of the scariest moments of my life! Watching my son hold his chest gasping for air while the stadium security refused to call a Dr. as I begged them to send him help.”
She accused the race’s security officials of ignoring her pleas and not calling for a doctor. In the end, the NBC team rushed in to help Lyles get back to the sidelines and offered assistance, including emotional support.
Team USA also rushed in to make sure Bishop was doing okay after such a shocking incident. In turn, she thanked both organizations for their timely help and empathy towards the situation.
However, Bishop was still raging over the situation, and she even shared a message for the Olympic officials, saying,
“To the security team, I pray if your loved one ever needs help, they get treated better than you treated us.”
After Lyles backed out of the rest of the competitions due to his illness, he received a lot of backlash for putting other athletes at risk. Fans also witnessed him hugging his teammates – something that one mustn’t indulge in during COVID-19. Yet, now that everything has slowly returned to normalcy, and the Paris Olympics has wrapped up, fans hope for redemption from Lyles.
