Have you missed the thrilling, fast-paced moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics? Well, you’re in luck. Netflix’s SPRINT is back for a second season, and if this doesn’t take you back to the French capital, we don’t know what will! The crew followed some of the fastest humans on their journey through the Olympic Trials and Games, and Kenny Bednarek was one of the few. The sprinter had dazzled the crowds by snagging a silver medal during the 2022 Tokyo Games.

Yet, the 26-year-old believed he could do better. In fact, he even reiterated how he was tired of getting second place all the time. Leading up to the Paris Olympics, the sprinter looked forward to getting rid of his Mr. Silver tag. At the Olympic Trials, he contested in the 100m finals and settled for second place again. But for him, Paris was going to be his game-changer. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out the way he expected. What went down?

Kenny Bednarek’s 100m performance left him gut-wrenched

On August 4, fans at Stade de France prepared for one of the most thrilling events of the Olympics – the 100m finals. This was the perfect moment for Kenny Bednarek to snag a gold medal. Yet, in a race that concluded in 9.92 seconds, the sprinter didn’t find himself in the top three. Instead, his time of 9.88 was only good enough for a seventh-place finish. On the other hand, this would’ve bagged him a bronze medal in Tokyo.

Understandably so, the Olympian was heartbroken. In episode 4 of the Netflix documentary, dejected, the 26-year-old walks over to his coach, Dennis Mitchell. “I’m tired of losing,” he confessed amidst tears. However, Mitchell comforted him and encouraged the sprinter to view his race differently. “Dude, you was in that bad boy. You were in it, okay? We’re gonna be back,” he reminded him. During the semis, he nearly missed out on the final.

But his coach believed that this was just a minor bump. Kenny Bednarek’s results in the 100m finals left him shellshocked, but Mitchell reiterated how this was his first big fight, and he did great. Regardless of what the results would have been, they always had a chance to come back stronger. Shortly after the historic race, the sprinter reflected upon his loss on his YouTube channel. While he wanted to make a statement, he never intended to push himself as much as he did initially.

While he still believed that he didn’t get the job done, he did reveal the strategy Coach Mitchell had in mind. The idea was to stick with the silver medalist, Kishane Thompson. He believed that if the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist got off the blocks with him, his speed would help him move past the rest of the competitors. Unfortunately, his okay start led to him forcing his speed, eventually tightening up. Even though the 100m finals didn’t go as planned, the 26-year-old had two more events for a shot at the prize.

Coach Mitchell’s reassurance worked its magic

At the U.S. Olympic Trials, the Olympian secured his spot in the 200m event with a blistering personal best of 19.59 seconds. This time was faster than his silver medal-worth 19.68 seconds in Tokyo. Yet, he couldn’t shake off the nerves on August 4. Dennis Mitchell reiterated how they had to prepare for the 200m dash at the French capital. “We got 24 hours, man. We gotta get back in this game, man. And that’s where you play,” he exclaimed.

That’s what Kenny Bednarek did. The sprinter surged past his competitors in 19.96 seconds during the heats on August 5. His first-place finish guaranteed him a spot in the semis. The Olympian replicated similar results by snagging another first-place finish with 20.00 seconds on the clock. However, his 19.62 seconds couldn’t keep up with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who snagged the gold in 19.46 seconds. Like in Tokyo, the 26-year-old had to settle for another second-place finish on the world’s grandest stage.

And then there was one! It was time for a final shot at the gold with the 4x100m relay. Eager to lift the 24-year track and field curse, the quartet of Kyree King, Fred Kerley, Christian Coleman, and the 26-year-old were confident. But a miscalculation during the race was their undoing. Coleman had a strong start off the blocks, but when Bednarek left his position early, the duo collided, nearly dropping the baton.

Despite trying their best, Team USA had missed the podium yet again. But wait, there’s more. Once the race concluded, officials pointed out that the 26-year-old was outside the designated zone when he received the baton. As a result, Team USA missed out on a medal for the 5th Games in a row. Despite his frustrations, Kenny Bednarek reassured fans that he would come back stronger than ever. Have you had the chance to watch Netflix’s SPRINT yet?