Kenny Bednarek has issued a scathing response to Noah Lyles after the latter edged the former in the 200m final at the US track championship in Oregon.
Lyles won by just 0.4 seconds to claim victory in 19.63 seconds, and then looked Bednarek’s way to trash talk following the win. Bednarek responded with a two-handed shove in his rival’s back, an altercation which then threatened to really boil over.
Lyles was routinely asked about the incident after he race, and continuously issued a five-worded response: “On coach’s orders, no comment.”
The US track star did stoke the fire further, however, mentioning his glance back to Bednarek when he crossed the finish line, adding: “If I hadn’t looked to the left, I might have run 19.50.”
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After Sunday’s race, Bednarek addressed the incident, stating: “Like I’ve said before, Noah’s going be Noah. If he wants to stare me down, that’s fine.”
Bednarek continued to speak on the altercation, adding: “The summary is, don’t do that to me.
“I don’t do any of that stuff. It’s not good character right there. That’s pretty much it. At the end of the day, he won the race. I’ve got to give him props. He was the better man today.”
Bednarek took umbrage with Lyles' behaviour
Bednarek, though, has moved to clarify that he took issue with what Lyles did on the track rather than what his rival said.
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“What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did. Unsportsmanlike s***, and I don’t deal with that. It’s a respect factor. He’s fresh. Last time we lined it up, I beat him, that’s all I can say. Next time we line up, I’m going to win. That’s all that matters.”
Both Bednarek and Lyles will resume their rivalry at the World Championships in Tokyo next month.
Bednarek has chance to exact revenge
And previewing the clash, the 26-year-old clearly showed he’s prepared to keep up his war of words with Lyles.
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“We’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens. Because I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I can say,” Bednarek added.
Given he fell short by just 0.4 seconds in Oregon at the weekend, Bednarek should feel confident that he can trump his rival in Tokyo on September 19th.
Topics: Athletics, Noah Lyles
Ben McAleer