Coach Says Lyles Had 102 Fever When He Won Bronze; Says He’ll Be Back for 2028 Olympics

 Noah Lyles, of the United States, dons a face mask following his men's 200-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP)
Noah Lyles, of the United States, dons a face mask following his men's 200-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP)
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Coach Says Lyles Had 102 Fever When He Won Bronze; Says He’ll Be Back for 2028 Olympics

 Noah Lyles, of the United States, dons a face mask following his men's 200-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP)
Noah Lyles, of the United States, dons a face mask following his men's 200-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP)

The night American sprinter Noah Lyles won a bronze medal, he had a fever of around 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius), according to his coach Lance Brauman.

It’s what made that medal, in his last sprint at the Paris Olympics, all the more impressive to Brauman, who described the sprinter’s condition and future Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and finished third in Thursday’s final behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and American teammate Kenneth Bednarek.

“Those guys raced great,” Brauman said. “But to get a bronze medal in 19.70 with a temperature of about 102, that wasn’t too bad.”

To Brauman, the performance ranks right up there with the one Lyles delivered to win gold in the 100 on Sunday.

“It’s hard to replace a gold medal in the 100 meters at the Olympic Games ... that one was probably the most important medal,” Brauman said. “How did he put it, we talked about it — he will have the most satisfaction out of the bronze.”

The 27-year-old Lyles was back at the track Friday night wearing a protective mask while accepting his bronze medal. He did a lap around the track waving to fans but kept his distance from Tebogo and Bednarek.

There will be other chances, Brauman said, because Lyles is just entering his prime.

“He’s going to be really good through LA at least, and then we’ll see what happens after that,” Brauman said of the next Olympics in 2028. “I just need him to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Lyles made no secret about his goal to win three gold medals at these Olympics, the way Usain Bolt did on his way to superstardom. He’ll leave Paris short of that goal, but nobody will forget the roller-coaster ride he produced: a .005-second victory in the 100, followed by a bronze while running with COVID.

“I mean, he was sick,” Brauman said. “People are going to say whatever they want, and that’s fine, but the dude was sick.

“What he had to do to muscle out that medal, that’s going to be hard to forget.”



Arsenal Captain Odegaard Injured on Norway Duty Ahead of Tough Club Games 

Norway's Martin Odegaard makes a corner kick during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Kazakhstan and Norway at Ortalyk Stadium in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
Norway's Martin Odegaard makes a corner kick during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Kazakhstan and Norway at Ortalyk Stadium in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
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Arsenal Captain Odegaard Injured on Norway Duty Ahead of Tough Club Games 

Norway's Martin Odegaard makes a corner kick during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Kazakhstan and Norway at Ortalyk Stadium in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
Norway's Martin Odegaard makes a corner kick during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Kazakhstan and Norway at Ortalyk Stadium in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)

Norway captain Martin Odegaard injured an ankle on Monday ahead of a key series of games for his club Arsenal.

Odegaard covered his face with his hands while being treated on the field midway through the second half of a Nations League game against Austria.

He appeared to turn awkwardly on his left ankle in a tough challenge with Austria midfielder Christoph Baumgartner as both chased and stretched for a loose ball.

Odegaard limped out of the game two minutes later and was consoled by his teammate Erling Haaland.

“It looked bad in the dressing room, too,” Norway coach Stale Solbakken told broadcaster TV 2. “He didn’t have the chance to continue.”

Odegaard was due to return from national team duty into a tough week of away games for Arsenal.

The Gunners first go to London rival Tottenham on Sunday then open their Champions League program at Atalanta, the Europa League winner, four days later in Italy. A visit to Manchester City completes a grueling week on Sept. 22.

Norway was level at 1-1 when Odegaard went off and won the game on Haaland’s 80th-minute goal.