Kenny Bednarek’s Paris Olympics story, unfortunately, wasn’t the kind of tale you hear from one of the fastest men in the world. The 100m track was Kenny’s chance to shine. But the race did not go as planned! Kenny ended up finishing seventh, clocking 9.88 seconds. A time that would have sufficed at the previous Olympics. This time, however, it wasn’t enough.

Kenny recently went to post a video on his YouTube channel reflecting on his loss. And he laid it all out! “To be honest, I did want to make a statement, but I didn’t want to go that fast initially.” The plan, developed alongside his coach, Dennis Mitchell, was a simple one. Take control from the start and conserve energy for the final push. “I was going, and it felt easy, and as soon as I wanted to let off the gas a little bit, then (Emmanuel) Eseme was right next to me.”

Kenny Bednarek had no choice but to keep up the pace! However, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Kenny’s frustration and heartbreak were evident, especially when he looked back on how his strategy unfolded. “As soon as the gun went off… I didn’t really do what I needed to do. Everybody had a really good start; I had an okay start.” That slight falter shifted everything. His top-end speed was supposed to push him through. But instead, he “tried to force it, and then with that, I tightened up a little bit.”

The result? “The whole thing about that finals—it was kind of bittersweet. You know, I didn’t get the job done,” said Kenny. He missed the gold, yes. But he became a part of history in one of the fastest Olympic finals ever. The race was fierce. Noah Lyles took gold, clocking 9.79, just 0.005 seconds ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson. The disappointment wasn’t lost on Kenny Bedernak. He remained philosophical, saying, “I’m happy to be part of history, but yeah, the job’s not done.”

It is clear that the sting of Paris is not one that will go away soon for Kenny Bednarek! So, how did this strategy come about? “So coach and I spoke and basically said if we stay with Kishane, we get the win. That was the goal in the race: just get out, push out of the blocks, get out with them boys, ’cause usually if I get out with them, then I can have my top-end speed take over, and then I can get the job done,” said Kenny. But in the end, when it mattered most, the race, despite being historic, slipped away.

But worry not, Kenny Bednarek’s redemption is already in the making!

If there is one thing that doesn’t sit well with Kenny, it is dwelling on defeat. After the disappointment in the Paris 100m, Kenny bounced back in the very next race. He went on to win the silver in 200m. Botswanian sprinter Letsile Tebogo took the gold home in that race.

This was also Kenny Bednarek’s second Olympic silver. He won second place at the 2020 Tokyo 200m finals, too! But Kenny’s silver bracket curse was one he could not deal with for long!

On September 14th, Bednarek went head-to-head against some of the world’s best at the Diamond League finals in Brussels. The lineup also included Letsile Tebogo. While Tebogo flew out of the blocks, ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ stayed composed, having learned his lesson in Paris. Kenny clocked 19.67 and went on to win the gold. At the same time, Tebogo came in second with 19.80.

From the comeback, one thing is crystal clear. Kenny Bednarek knows how to bounce back from setbacks, tweak his strategies, and execute them when it matters. And judging by his Diamond League performance, the next chapter is looking pretty promising.