Noah Lyles left the track not celebrating a second gold but gasping for air in a wheelchair, struggling after the 200m final at the Paris Olympics. The 27-year-old had already made history before that, winning 100m gold by five-thousandths of a second, but his dream of an Olympic sprint double was wrecked by COVID-19. But while he did get a medical response, it was far from acceptable. And Lyles holds back on nothing to bring this to light.

“I was quite light-headed after that race. Shortness of breath, chest pain, but after a while, I could catch my breath and get my wits about me,” he said after finally receiving medical attention—though not as quickly as he should have. Still battling the virus, he fought to a 200-meter bronze as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo took gold. Proud? Yes. Disapponted? Yes. Angry? What do you think?

Recently, Noah Lyles joined the Toure Show podcast, where the host, Toure, asked, “You remember falling?“—referring to the moment after Lyles crossed the 200-meter finish line at the Paris Olympics and collapsed. Lyles vividly recalled, “I remember being on the ground, and I remember being down there for a long time. I remember looking dead at the medical staff’s face and beckoning to them, and they just stared at me.”

When Touré asked why they didn’t respond and stare, Lyles explained, “How could the world’s fastest man be on the ground? There can’t possibly be something wrong now.” Before this, everything seemed perfect. Lyles had just won the 100-meter race, becoming the fastest man in the world, and was riding high. But then he revealed the reality of how the situation played out with the medical team and the IOC.

He further revealed, “I’m down there for—I don’t know how long—but for a while, yeah. I did see the US doctor come out, and he’s yelling at them, like, ‘He needs help! You need to go help him, yada yada.’” It is pretty disappointing how even the biggest stars aren’t getting the treatment they deserve. Noah continued, “Finally, someone came over and helped me up, but no, they didn’t help me up. I had to get myself up.”

The frustration didn’t stop there. “They finally gave me a wheelchair and wheeled me out, and I’ll never forget that, because I’m struggling to breathe, my pulse is racing, and I’m dizzy. And as I’m being wheeled back.”But as he was being taken away, someone from the Olympic Committee approached him and told him he was being fined for “disturbing the peace” when he celebrated after his name was announced.

“I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m done with this.’” Noah Lyles was clearly upset, not only by the delayed medical help. But he was also enraged by the fine that followed, feeling like the IOC’s priorities were completely misplaced. As the conversation continued, Lyles revealed the darker side of the IOC. When Touré asked about the USOPC’s involvement, Lyles shared his thoughts on the IOC, saying that they were more concerned with their own profits than with the athletes.

He explained that the IOC is focused on making money and sees athletes as just the product. “Let’s just say the IOC is there to make money, and athletes are just the product.” Touré pointed out that Lyles was one of the stars of the Games, which helped make them successful, but Lyles noted how the IOC often disregards this. But it was not just Lyles who made his feelings known.

The heartbreaking struggle of Noah Lyles’ mom in Paris Olympics

Sign up to Essentially Athletics

Join our 110K+ family of loyal track & field fans and don't miss out on the stories that that truly matter in the world of athletics.

“They see it as always finding the next star. Whoever they crown, that’s who they believe the people will cheer for.” This shows how the IOC’s priorities are more about control and profit, neglecting the athletes who truly drive the Games’ success. They may be focused on their own agenda. But think about the mother watching her son struggle, helpless, as she witnesses Noah Lyles in distress.

How did she feel, seeing one of the world’s fastest athletes in that condition and knowing the medical team was so slow to respond? Noah Lyles had dealt with flare-ups in his health before, but what happened in Paris was something else. After testing positive for COVID-19, things really took a turn. His mom, Keisha Caine Bishop, was there and tried desperately to get help for her son.

Noah allegedly ran the race with a 102-degree fever. But she had to watch powerlessly as he collapsed on the field, struggling to breathe. But instead of medical assistance, security refused to let her get to him. One fan tweeted, “I was sitting right there. Security didn’t refuse to call medical; they refused to let her on the field.” Bishop shared her experience on Instagram, describing the terrifying moment.

“This was one of the scariest moments of my life! Watching my son gasp for air while the stadium security wouldn’t call a doctor, even though I begged them for help,” she wrote. She was beyond frustrated, feeling the helplessness no parent should ever have to face. But she didn’t forget to thank those who did help her.

She gave shoutouts to the NBC Olympics team and the USATF staff for showing empathy and support during such a tough time. In her own words, “To the security team, I pray if your loved one ever needs help, they get treated better than you treated us.” Oof, that’s some truth right there. Thankfully, Noah Lyles is doing better now, but this whole situation is a solid reminder.

Athletes aren’t just performing robots. They’re real people. And when they’re in distress, they deserve the same care and respect as anyone else, especially when it counts the most.