Letsile Tebogo fans mock COVID-stricken Noah Lyles in gold medal celebrations

Fans in Botswana seemed to mock Noah Lyles as they celebrated Letsile Tebogo's triumphant return following his 200m victory at the Paris Olympics.

Tens of thousands gathered in the capital, Gaborone, on Tuesday to welcome Tebogo, who made history by winning the country's first-ever Olympic gold medal, defeating Lyles, who finished third in Paris.

The U.S. track star had aimed to achieve a 100m-200m double, but ended up being taken from the track in a wheelchair after crossing the finish line

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It was later revealed that Lyles was battling COVID-19, but that didn’t shield him from ridicule in Botswana.

A video circulating on social media on Tuesday showed a man dressed in Botswana's colors and bearing Tebogo's name, pushing another man in a wheelchair. The man's shirt was torn at the shoulder, mimicking Lyles’, and his bib read 'Lekgowa,' which, according to a local linguistics professor, can refer to someone who 'lacks respect for others,' as the Daily Mail reported. 

After his victory in Paris, Tebogo called his rival "arrogant," stating, "I can't be the face of athletics because I'm not an arrogant or loud person like Noah."

On 4 August – just a few days before his 200m final – Lyles was on top of the world after winning gold in the 100m, a race that has been described as the fastest 100m race in history - with the slowest of the eight finalists clocking an impressive 9.91 seconds. Lyles won with a time of 9.79.

Lyles' struggles in the 200m became evident only after he finished, as he appeared short of breath and was helped into a wheelchair after being seen lying flat on the track.

He was diagnosed with the virus, which can severely affect the respiratory system, on Tuesday (6 August). He said the virus, which he and his team did their best to hide from his competitors, had severely impacted his preparations.

"I've had to take a lot of breaks," he said, as reported by the BBC. "I was coughing through the night. I'm more proud of myself than anything, coming out here to get a bronze with COVID."

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"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. I'm a lot better now."

Lyles had been expected to run in the 4x100m and 4x400m relay races on 8 August, but in a social media post that evening he announced: "I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics."

COVID has very much played a role in several campaigns this year, as 46 athletes and officials had tested positive for illnesses throughout the Games, as of Friday, per The Guardian.

This included sixteen from the Australian swim team, including Lani Pallister, a medal hopeful in the 1500m freestyle who had to pull out just an hour before the event due to her COVID symptoms. 

That came less than a day after British swim star Adam Peaty tested positive on 29 July following his silver medal in the 100m breaststroke.

There were no COVID guidelines at the officiating level for this edition of the Olympics. "For the moment, nothing official has been implemented by the organizing committee," André-Pierre Goubert, director of the Olympic and High-Performance Sport Center at the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), told the French newspaper Le Monde.

"We have recommended that delegations use their own medical teams to test their athletes before they reach the Olympic Village."

Athletes were all clear to compete, even if they were suffering from COVID symptoms. A very different protocol to the Tokyo Games three years prior, which required athletes to isolate and would be ruled out of the competition if they tested positive for the virus. 

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