“Came out here and said I wanted to dominate. That’s what I did,” Kenny Bednarek remarked after his 200 m in the inaugural Grand Slam Track in Kingston on April 5-6, 2025. How do you start a bang-on season? Well, in typical Bednarek fashion, we would say by winning the 100m and 200m in Short Sprints group. On Day 1, Bednarek clocked 10.07 seconds to edge out Jamaica’s Oblique Seville by a mere hundredth of a second in the 100m. He followed it up on Day 2 with a commanding 200m win, cruising to the finish line in 20.07 seconds. It was a dominant display from the two-time Olympic 200m silver medalist but what’s itching Bednarek after such a stellar performance?

“I would rate this race ‘C,’” said the 26-year-old. Despite the double victory and the hefty paycheck of $100k, Bednarek’s displeasure was evident in his interview captured by Chris Chavez on X. He added, “It was a good race but fell I can kind of run faster, I think need to improve more.” Yet, he set a lofty goal for the 2025 season, “I’m feeling pretty confident this year. The goal is to win every single race, go on a streak, and be the best to ever do it.”

Though 20.07 seconds is an impressive feat in itself, what’s even more impressive is that the second place saw a difference of 0.30 seconds which was held by Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes. And Fred Kerley came in third place with a time of 20.39 seconds. Bednarek’s words are now dripping with ambition and his focus isn’t just on winning—it’s on rewriting the history books of track and field. So, who does Bednarek want to test his mettle against next?

With his sights set on greatness, Bednarek didn’t hesitate to call out some of the biggest names in sprinting. In the same interview, he issued a bold challenge to Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, and any other sprinters willing to step up, daring them to face him at the next Grand Slam Track event in Miami next month. “Noah, Erriyon, or anybody who wants to play, I mean track is ready for them.”

This isn’t just a casual invitation—it’s a gauntlet thrown down by a man who’s been a consistent threat on the global stage. Bednarek’s history with Lyles and Knighton runs deep, having joined them for a U.S. 200m medal sweep at the 2022 World Championships, where Lyles took the gold with a time of 19.31 seconds which also happens to hold the National record. On the other hand, Bednarek took home the silver medal with a time of 19.77 seconds, and might we add that this was the season’s best. Lastly, Knighton took home the bronze medal with 19.80 seconds.

However, let’s be real- Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek’s showdown in Miami might not happen at all, given that Noah Lyles has chosen to not race for the Michael Johnson-led initiative. We are aware of how the 27-year-old cited issues regarding the event’s sponsorship and the broadcasting arrangement on his Beyond The Records podcast. He also laid emphasis on how the league requires external sponsorship for its success. Despite this, we have seen Bednarek issue a challenge. But how does this challenge fit into his broader goals for the season?

Beyond the Miami showdown, Bednarek’s Kingston performance has positioned him as a frontrunner for the Grand Slam Track’s ultimate prize. His $100K win in Jamaica is just the start—he’s now in pole position to contend for the $100K Racer of the Year award, which will be given to the athlete with the most combined points after all four Slams. The sweep in the Short Sprints group has given him a strong lead, but with three more events to go, the competition is far from over. Can he maintain his momentum and turn his bold words into reality?

Kenny Bednarek’s career highlights: A Sprinting star on the rise

Kenny Bednarek has been a force in track and field since bursting onto the scene, and his career highlights paint the picture of a sprinter destined for greatness. Hailing from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Bednarek first made waves in 2019 at Indian Hills Community College, where he ran a blistering 19.82 seconds in the 200m—into a -0.8 headwind, no less—displacing Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith’s former world record for the 30 fastest legal race of all time.

Prior to this, he registered a 44.73 in the 400m, becoming the NJCAA national champion in both events. His breakout performance earned him the USATF Athlete of the Week honor on May 22, 2019, and soon after, he signed a pro contract with Nike, training under former world champion Justin Gatlin in Florida. But how did Bednarek translate that early promise into global success?

Fast forward to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Bednarek proved he belonged among the elite, clinching the 200m silver medal with a time of 19.68 seconds on August 4, 2021. And we all saw what happened at the World Championships in Eugene in 2022.

His consistency shone again at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he qualified for both the 100m and 200m finals, finishing 7th in the 100m with a 9.88 and securing yet another 200m silver in 19.62 seconds behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo. Add to that his Diamond League 200m title in Zürich on September 9, 2021, with a 19.70-second run, and it’s clear Bednarek’s career is a highlight reel of speed and grit. What’s next for the sprinter known as ‘Kung Fu Kenny’?