“Feeling a Little Left Out”: Kenny Bednarek Trolls Noah Lyles for Challenging To Reclaim Record at NYC Grand Prix

Noah Lyles cemented his place in track and field shattering Michael Johnson’s 26-year-old national record two years back, and was recently dethroned by Kenny Bednarek in Doha’s Diamond League. Lyles had said that –“Of course I wanted to be faster. I at least wanted to break the American record again.” Bednarek, a 200m Olympic silver medalist, is looking to maintain his winning streak and secured a world-leading time of 19.67, thus invoking the competitive spirit of Noah Lyles. Triple world champion Lyles has his sights set on winning three gold medals in the Summer Games.

On the road to Paris, coming off a triumphant 2023 season and nearly breaking Usain Bolt’s records, Lyles is no stranger to setting up incremental and attainable challenges in sprinting. After Kenny Bednarek overtook him this month, Lyles imposed a deadline to regain his 200m record. Taking one stride with each race, Kenny Bednarek also hit back at Lyles, adding to the jocular rivalry between the talented duo.

Noah Lyles’s warning receives Kenny Bednarek’s two cents

At the 2024 Doha Diamond League on May 10, Kenny Bednarek, 25, ignited the Doha crowd by winning the men’s 200m race. He was the sole individual to go under 20 s, setting a new personal best of 19.67. In a tweet, Noah Lyles praised Bednarek on his feat but cautioned him, saying, “I will let you keep it till June 9th.” June 9th also happens to be the NYC Grand Prix, yet another fiery showdown to the behemoth games. Bednarek had previously retweeted saying, “Challenge Accepted.” Now, Kenny Bednarek recently participated in a conversation with the host of Track World News on YouTube.

In the video, Lyles’s response was recently laughed off by Bednarek, who said, “He’s feeling a little left out right now so uh but yeah I mean I love that he said that…he’s a fierce competitor and and yeah like he want he wants to get it then let him have it I mean I’m I’m not going to roll over.”

Noah Lyles announced his intention to break Usain Bolt’s decade-old 200m world record, which stands at 19.19 s, after the Atlanta City Games. Which seemed promising since Lyles raced the third-fastest 200m in history last year at the World Athletics championship in Eugene, Oregon. He raced in 19.31s to win the gold medal and took home two more golds from the competition. He also posted a video on his Instagram account a while back, announcing his intent to break Bolt’s world record with a time of 19.10 seconds and called it, “road to 19.10s.”

On the contrary, Bednarek was remarkable as he won the 200m to create a world record, a meet record, and a PB with his 19.67. With a winning time of 19.89, the Oklahoma native triumphed once more at the 51st Prefontaine Classic on May 25. “I got the win and that’s all that matters,” he declared following the victory.

Where the American 200m rivalry first brewed

With a major win over Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles successfully defended his world 200m title at the 2022 World Athletic Championship. Lyles surpassed American sprinting great Michael Johnson’s world record from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, leaving US rivals Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton behind him. Notably, it was the first time that the world championships had taken place in the US.

Now that Kenny Bednarek is a constant threat, Noah Lyles is up against the greatest sprinting clan competing for a berth in the Olympics this year. The 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, scheduled for June 21–30, will be Bednarek’s next stop. The “sprint king,” Noah Lyles, will be back on the scene on June 9, 2024, at the USATF NYC Grand Prix. Meanwhile, fans have been excited about what the upcoming season has in store for the duo ever since the online challenge.