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Kenny Bednarek Rips Noah Lyles for Staredown at U.S. Nationals

Bednarek shoved Lyles after the latter stared him down at the end of the 200-meter final.

Tim Capurso

Kenny Bednarek didn't appreciate Noah Lyles's staring him down at the end of the 200 meter final at U.S. Nationals.
Kenny Bednarek didn't appreciate Noah Lyles's staring him down at the end of the 200 meter final at U.S. Nationals. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There were some fireworks after the electrifying men's 200-meter final at the U.S. Nationals in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday.

Three-time Olympic medalist Noah Lyles ran down Kenny Bednarek in the final 50 meters of the race to earn the victory, then stared down his American rival as the two crossed the finish line, prompting an irked Bednarek to shove Lyles. Lyles had words for Bednarek, then the two sprinters continued their discussion during a post-race interview, with Bednarek telling Lyles, "If you've got a problem, I expect a call, that's all I'm saying."

After the race, Bednarek spoke to reporters and was asked what Lyles said to him.

"What he said doesn't matter—it's what he did," Bednarek said. "That's it. Unsportsmanlike s---. And I don't deal with that."

Bednarek didn't elaborate, but said that the back-and-forth with Lyles stems from "personal stuff." But there also may be some competitive bitterness between the two stars. Lyles won gold in the men's 100 meter final at the Paris Olympics while Bednarek finished seventh. In the 200 meter final in Paris, Lyles, dealing with the effects of COVID-19, took home the bronze medal while Bednarek defeated him to win a silver medal.

At the U.S. Nationals, Lyles ran three races while Bednarek ran a total of five, a fact that was not lost on Bednarek.

"He was fresh," Bednarek said. "We line up again when we’re both fresh, see what happens. Because I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I can say. … Next time we line up, I’m gonna win."

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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