Noah Lyles collapsed to the ground after finishing third in the 200-meter race at the Olympics. The 27-year-old American sprinter was dealing with a respiratory illness and could not catch his breath.
His mother, Keisha Bishop, is furious with how he — and she — was treated during that moment.
Lyles pulled off an unbelievable win in the 100-meter on August 4. He finished third in the 200 four days later.
The latter is actually his better event so it was a huge shock to see him lose. Especially after Lyles guaranteed a win and vowed that it wouldn’t be close. There is a legitimate case to be made that winning a bronze medal while sick is actually just as impressive as gold, but a bronze is not gold and anything short of gold was disappointing.
Lyles needed medical assistance after the race and exited the stadium in a wheelchair. It was a scary visual, especially considering that he dealt with debilitating asthma as a child. Especially for his mom.
NBC showed Bishop in the crowd after the race. She was visibly distraught while trying to get down onto the track to be with her son as he writhed in pain on the ground. Security prevented her from doing so.
The Olympics’ medical team eventually made its way over to Lyles and got him the help he needed. Bishop was not allowed to leave her place in the stands.
That did not go over well.
She was furious.
Bishop posted a scathing response to how the security team allegedly treated her. It claimed that they refused to do anything to help Lyles while he “held his chest gasping for air.”
Bishop’s account of what happened may or may not be an accurate depiction.
Janelle Addy, the sister of former Liberian track star Jangy Addy and journalist, offered a different story. She was supposedly sitting right there and saw it all go down.
I was sitting right there and watched the whole thing. Security didn’t refuse to call medical. They refused to let her on the field. Yelling in their faces and trying to jump the fence. Security did their job.
— @mizzADDYtude / X
Noah Lyles ultimately left Paris with gold and bronze, even though he expected two golds. His mother was not happy with how they were treated.