The men’s 200-meter final at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships was one of the most anticipated events of the weekend as it would pit rivals Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles — who won silver and bronze, respectively, at the Paris Olympics last year — against each other.
The event did not disappoint, as Lyles ran down Bednarek on the straight to beat him by four hundredths of a second (9.63 seconds to 9.67 seconds) and capture the win. The two top competitors’ lanes were next to each other, and as Lyles edged past Bednarek at the finish line, he turned to the Olympic silver medalist and stared him down, which Bednarek didn’t appreciate and gave Lyles a shove as they pulled up after the finish line.
Lyles then refused to shake Bednarek’s hand at first, and when the two did, the latter let Lyles know how he felt about his antics at the line — which Lyles seemed to not care about at all. It’s not a shocking interaction given Lyles’ history of riling up opponents and even athletes in other sports beyond track and field. In this case, he had the performance to back up his talk and this will only serve to spice up their next meeting on the track.
Bednarek spoke after the race about the incident, saying “Noah will be Noah” while noting that Lyles was fresh and he had run five rounds this weekend in the 100m and 200m. Bednarek also noted that it wasn’t anything Lyles said but his actions, calling it “unsportsmanlike shit, and I don’t deal with that.”
Bednarek won the 100m event on Friday night, but Lyles — the Olympic gold medalist in the 100m — withdrew from the competition after winning his first round heat to focus on the 200m. Lyles staredown was seemingly a reminder to Bednarek what happens when he’s in a race, while Bednarek has full belief he can top Lyles when they’re both on even-footing.
Add Comment