The men’s 200-meter final at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships was highly anticipated, featuring rivals Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles, who garnered silver and bronze at the last year’s Paris Olympics. The event lived up to expectations as Lyles narrowly defeated Bednarek, clocking in at 9.63 seconds to Bednarek’s 9.67 seconds. Upon crossing the finish line, Lyles provocatively stared down the Olympic silver medalist, which led Bednarek to retaliate with a shove and some pointed words.
Noah Lyles vs. Kenny Bednarek didn鈥檛 disappoint in a tense 200m. 馃嵖馃摵 NBC & Peacock
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Lyles initially refused to shake Bednarek’s hand but eventually did, with Bednarek expressing his views on Lyles’ antics, stating, “Noah will be Noah” and labeling Lyles’ actions as “unsportsmanlike behavior, and I don鈥檛 handle that well.”
While Bednarek won the 100m event earlier that weekend, Lyles鈥攖he Olympic champion in the same event鈥攐pted out after winning his heat to focus on the 200m. This rivalry is sure to intensify with this recent encounter.
