The Paris Olympic Games left an indelible mark on athletics with Noah Lyles’ dramatic collapse after finishing third in the men’s 200m final. Gasping for air and clutching his chest, Lyles was rushed off the track in a wheelchair. Days later, it was revealed by the USATF that he had run the race despite testing positive for COVID-19 three days prior.
While Lyles had celebrated a 100m gold medal earlier, his condition cast a shadow over his fiancée Junelle Bromfield’s campaign. The Jamaican sprinter, expected to excel in the 400m, crashed in the semifinals, reportedly exhausted after sleepless nights tending to Lyles. “She said I was coughing through the night and had to keep moving me to make sure I would stop,” Lyles admitted.
Criticism soon followed, with some accusing Bromfield of prioritizing her partner’s health over her Olympic aspirations. Jamaica’s medal hopes dwindled further after the women’s 4x400m relay team was disqualified following a dropped baton in the final, compounding the nation’s worst sprint performance since 2000.
In response to the controversy, Lyles defended Bromfield, saying, “That’s not my story to tell… It wasn’t a situation where we wanted it to happen.” Despite the setbacks, their love story continues to thrive, with the couple recently getting engaged and moving into a new home together. Bromfield’s resilience and Lyles’ defence of her underscore the complexities of love and ambition in elite sports.
