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.”



Novak Djokovic Breaks a Tie with Roger Federer for Most Grand Slam Matches in Tennis History

 Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)
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Novak Djokovic Breaks a Tie with Roger Federer for Most Grand Slam Matches in Tennis History

 Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)

Novak Djokovic added yet another record to his lengthy list, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches played in tennis history by reaching 430 on Wednesday at the Australian Open in what was a tougher-than-expected second-round victory.

Djokovic improved to 379-51 for his career at major tournaments, a .881 winning percentage, by defeating 21-year-old Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in a match briefly interrupted by light rain before Rod Laver Arena's retractable roof was shut.

“Grand Slams, of course, they are the pillars of our sport. They mean everything for the history of the sport. ... Definitely the most important tournaments,” Djokovic said. “I’m just blessed to be making another record, I guess, today.”

Oh, yes, Djokovic already holds so many marks, many of which used to belong to Federer — who went 369-60 during his 429 Slam matches, a .860 winning percentage — and there are more on the horizon.

As it is, Djokovic has won the most Grand Slam singles titles of any man, 24, ahead of Rafael Nadal's 22 and Federer's 20 (those other two members of the Big Three are now retired). The 37-year-old Serb has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the rankings than any other player. He's played in 37 Slam finals, six more than Federer's old record. And so on and so on.

Consider, too, what could possibly await for Djokovic.

A title at the end of the 15 days at Melbourne Park would be his 25th at a major, a number never reached by any man or woman. It would also be his 11th at the Australian Open, equaling Margaret Court for the most. It would make him the oldest man in the Open era — which began in 1968 — to collect a Grand Slam singles trophy (Ken Rosewall was about six months younger when he won the 1972 Australian Open).

And it would be Djokovic's 100th tour-level tournament title, a nice round number behind only Jimmy Connors' 109 and Federer's 103 in the Open era among men.

Not everything has gone perfectly this week in Australia for Djokovic in his first tournament working with former on-court rival Andy Murray as his coach.

Both of Djokovic's matches so far came against a young player making his Grand Slam debut. And both times, he was pushed to four sets.

In the first round, it was against Nishesh Basavareddy, a 19-year-old American who turned pro only last month and is ranked 107th. In the second, it was Faria, who is ranked 125th, giving him a bit of a hard time, especially during a four-game run in the second set.

“He was playing lights-out tennis. ... I had to weather the storm,” Djokovic said. “I think I responded very well in the third and, particularly fourth, (sets).”