Why was Noah Lyles allowed to run the 200m despite having Covid?

The self-proclaimed world's fastest man was allowed to compete in the men's 200m event at the 2024 Olympics in Paris despite testing positive for Covid.

Noah Lyles was diagnosed with Covid on August 6, according to NBC reports from August 8.

His qualifying heat for the event was on August 5, which he won, before coming a surprising third in a semi-final on August 7 in an event he was expected to win gold in.

Lyles managed to get himself through the final, still picking up a bronze medal along the way, before laying on the ground and requiring a wheelchair to leave the stadium.

In a post on social media, Lyles said he thinks that's the end for his 2024 Olympics despite having the men's 4x100m event still to come.

It comes after he won gold in the prestigious 100m event on August 4.

A statement from Team USA Track and Field said: "After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.

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

Lyles was allowed to compete because athletes and officials are given the chance to gauge their health and manage any health issues that come up.

There are no Covid restrictions in place at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, a stark contrast to Tokyo 2020 and the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022 when there was regular testing, social distancing, mask wearing and a whole range of other measures in place.

To manage his symptoms, CBS reports Lyles boosted hydration to treat himself and quarantined voluntarily so he did not pass it on to team-mates.

Although not required to, Lyles was seen wearing a mask since his diagnosis.

A number of athletes have tested positive for Covid at the 2024 Olympics, including Great Britain's Adam Peaty.

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