Gold Medal-Winning Runner Takes Shot At Team USA Star Noah Lyles

Letstile Tebogo, a gold medal-winning runner from Botswana took a not-so-subtle shot at U.S. Olympian and "fastest man in the world" Noah Lyles.

Tebogo took home the gold in the 200 meter event on Thursday, with Lyles finishing in third. After the race, Lyles revealed he'd tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Tuesday, and ran the race with COVID. Though he didn't explain why he needed a wheelchair after the race when he'd entered jumping around to hype up the crowd.

READ: Noah Lyles Takes Bronze In 200m After Testing Positive For COVID

After the 200 meter event, Tebogo sat down for a press conference with silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek from Team USA. While answering questions on different topics, Tebogo was asked what he views as his aspiration within running, namely, would he want to be the face of men's running. That's when he went after Lyles.

PARIS - Bronze medalist Noah Lyles of Team United States shows his dejection while being assisted by medical staff after competing in the Men's 200m Final on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 8, 2024. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Noah Lyles Makes Himself The Face Of Running

"I think for me, I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or loud person like Noah [Lyles]," he said. "So, I believe Noah is the face of athletics." Shots fired.

Lyles may be both "arrogant and loud," though that's nothing unique in the world of elite athletics. The issue is, of course, when athletes who are on the more bombastic side lose, as Lyles did on Thursday. 

While Tebogo didn't seem to mean it to taunt Lyles, that's the obvious interpretation. And Lyles brought it on himself. He's caught heat from basketball fans for comments complaining about the NBA champions calling themselves "world champions." 

"I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what?" Lyles said. "The United States? Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S. at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world." 

The loss to Tebogo ended Lyles' Olympics, as he posted on Friday that it was the last event he'd run. While acknowledging that his attitude draws eyeballs.

"I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics. It is not the Olympics I dreamed of, but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart," Lyles wrote. "I hope everyone enjoyed the show. Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn't you?"

Exactly what the face of running would say.