A single event and the battle between two Titans. The 200m sprint event can be narrated in that way. Justin Gatlin supports the narrative. But who are these Titans? As per him, Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek are those behemoths who will make the upcoming 200m contest in the Paris Olympics far more riveting. Why? The rise of Kenny has come to the fore in a new wrap and it was visible at Hayward Field last weekend. 

In that venue, the American sprinters collided in both 100m and 200m trial events. However, in their Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green looked at the 200m event final. Ultimately, Noah Lyles won that trial event breaking the 28-year-old meet record. Furthermore, his 19.53 seconds put him at the world lead this season.

But Kenny Bednarek wasn’t far behind. Taking 19.59 seconds to cross the finishing line, Kenny settled himself in second position. In the world-leading chart as well, his clocking found the same standing. That changeover in Kenny Bednarek impressed both Gatlin and Rodney Green to the length that Rodney called Kenny “Scary as hell” in the podcast. For Gatlin, Kenny Bednarek is “That Boogeyman”. Why? The former Olympic champion has a lot of reasons to back that title he adorned Kenny with. 

In the same podcast, Justin talked about the transformations he had noticed throughout the times in Kenny. But he felt most impressed by the latter’s breathing fire attitude in the trials a few weeks ago. As per him, Kenny Bednarek didn’t leave an easy space for Noah and that might inspire him to go on the hard length before the actual contest one month later, in the Paris Olympics. 

The 42-year-old veteran narrated it, “He [Kenny] is going to go back to Claremont, he’s going to know that guy he wanted to beat is across town, training hard. So it’s gonna make him train hard, and he’s gonna go out there next four weeks and he’s gonna put everything on the line, he’s gonna work extra hard to get the job done.” And it is new in the Olympian’s character.

So, anyone can imagine a reformed Kenny Bednarek’s boundary where his previous aura gave him the silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Being a judicious watcher, Justin Gatlin wants to point that part out. But would it be a red signal for Noah Lyles in Paris? 

Noah Lyles remembers the Tokyo Olympics rivalry 

Since 2020, Noah Lyles has come overpowering Kenny Bednarek in each of the head-to-head 200m battles, except one. On the penultimate final event in the Tokyo Olympics on August 4, 2021, the challenger put a lid on the king’s chance to win big in the 200m event. On that day, Noah Lyles remained 0.06 seconds behind Kenny and far behind to get a better outcome. But now, the sprint treble winner’s target is to claim “all the titles”. Ultimately, that statement echoed in his voice after sweeping both the 100m and 200m trial finals at Hayward Field. 

Capitalizing on his record-breaking performances, Noah said, “You claim that you’re going to go out there and win four medals. So the goal had to be to win the 100, win the 200.” Later, he added, “The job is accomplished.” However, Kenny didn’t miss to take out the positive points from the event. 

Relishing that part, he claimed, “It means that they should all fear me. That’s what it means.” His confidence was clearly visible when he said. “Obviously, I’m on their case right there. I showed the world I’ve got a lot more in me and a lot more in the tank.” Surely, Noah Lyles noticed that high flying.

“The plan was actually to swallow him up in the first 50 meters,” he admitted later. “But he was making sure that job wasn’t accomplished. I knew he was different, working on something. So I guess that was it,” the accompanying lines remained far more alert. This shows the current situation of their battle. Soon, it will gain more air.