Letsile Tebogo delivers savage verdict on 'arrogant' Noah Lyles after beating Team USA sprinter to win 200m gold at 2024 Olympics

Letsile Tebogo pulled off a shock 200m gold medal win on Thursday - and delivered a savage verdict on Noah Lyles after defeating the American sprinter.

Lyles had confidently told reporters beforehand that he would win the race, and made an extremely bombastic entrance into the Stade de France as he jumped around and waved his arms towards the crowd.

But the American (who later revealed that he had COVID) finished third in the race as Tebogo led the pack, and the sprinter from Botswana went on to call Lyles 'arrogant' and 'loud.'

The newly-crowned 200m champion was asked whether he aspired to be the face of track and field, and claimed his more laid-back approach wouldn't allow him to get to Lyles' level of fame.

'For me, I can't be the face of athletics because I'm not an arrogant or loud person like Noah,' he said.

'So I believe Noah's the face of athletics.'

The remark caused Lyles' USA teammate, Kenny Bednarek, who claimed silver in the race, to briefly crack a wry smile.

Lyles brashly predicted before the 200m that he would complete the double after winning gold in the 100m in a nail-biting finish.

'...None of them is winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed,' he said.

However, that prediction aged poorly as Lyles labored to a third-place finish and was placed in a wheelchair moments after the race, clearly out of breath from his COVID diagnosis.

He later revealed that his Olympics were likely over as he took to Instagram to thank fans for their support.

Lyles had been set to compete in the 4x100 relay but said he 'hope[d] everyone enjoyed the show.'

The sprinting star's mother confirmed to NBC that he had COVID before he spoke to the network himself.

He told NBC, while masked up: 'I woke up early about 5am Tuesday morning, feeling really horrible. I knew it was more than being sore from the 100. My first thought was not to panic, I've ben in worse situations, I've been in worse conditions.

'I took it day by day, tried to hydrate as much. It would say it has taken its toll, for sure, but I have never been more proud of myself coming out here and getting a bronze.'

Lyles later said that the other competitors were unaware of his diagnosis: 'We tried to keep it close to our chest. The medical staff, my coach and my mom knew.

'We didn’t want everybody to go into a panic. We wanted to be able to compete. We wanted to be able to make it discreet as possible and you don’t want to tell your competitors you are sick. Why would you give them an edge?'