Featured Image Credit: X/@NBCOlympics
Topics: Olympics, Noah Lyles, Athletics
Jack Kenmare
Noah Lyles refused to be drawn into the controversy surrounding his 200-meter final win at the USA Track and Field Championships after runner-up Kenny Bednarek accused him of "unsportsmanlike" behaviour.
Lyles, an Olympic 100m gold medalist, clocked a world-leading time of 19.63 seconds on Sunday as the 28-year-old earned a record-tying fifth U.S. men’s 200m title in Eugene, Oregon.
The race was far from straightforward, though, and Lyles was forced to come from behind to secure a narrow win over Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, who didn't take too kindly to what happened in the final stages.
As you can see from the footage below, Lyles glanced over at Bednarek as he crossed the finish line – something that clearly irked the latter.
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In fact, moments later, things got physical when Bednarek shoved Lyles in the back with both hands, which led the Olympic champion to turn around and engage in a heated on-track conversation with his closest rival.
Speaking in their post-race interviews with NBC, things got even more tense as Bednarek addressed the incident. "Like I’ve said before, Noah’s going be Noah,” he said. “If he wants to stare me down, that’s fine.”
Bednarek added that he "expected a call" from Lyles if he had a problem, to which his rival replied: "You know what, you’re right. Let’s talk after this.”
Soon after, Bednarek continued to speak on the altercation. “The summary is, don’t do that to me,” he said. “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 clarified that he took issue with what Lyles did on the track, rather than what he said.
"What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did," the American maintained. “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.”
Asked for his take on the clash, Lyles was keen to stay out of the controversy. On numerous occasions, he simply said: “On coach’s orders, no comment."
That being said, Lyles mentioned the glance at Bednarek when crossing the finish line, commenting: “If I hadn’t looked to the left, I might have run 19.50."
So, when will we see the pair race again? Both men will go head-to-head on September 19 at the World Championships in Tokyo, which will certainly be an anticipated affair given what happened in Oregon on Sunday.