The US track championships turned physical on Sunday, with Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek involved in a shoving match after they crossed the finish line of a hotly contested 200m final.
“Like I’ve said before, Noah’s going be Noah,” Bednarek said. “If he wants to stare me down, that’s fine.”
Lyles reeled in Bednarek and crossed in 19.63 seconds for a 0.04sec victory that sets up a rematch at the world championships, which take place next month in Tokyo.
The best action on Sunday arguably came after the finish line. There was jawing, the shove and, then, Lyles turning around, backpedaling, reaching his arms out and bouncing up and down like a boxer before lobbing a few more choice words at Bednarek.
Their argument bled into the post-race interview.
“I tell ya, if you’ve got a problem, I expect a call,” Bednarek said, as NBC’s Lewis Johnson moved the mic between the runners.
Lyles replied: “You know what, you’re right. You’re right. Let’s talk after this.”
Though they shook hands during the interview, Bednarek was fired up well after the sprinters had left the track.
“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.”
The win itself was no big surprise for Lyles, the three-time defending world champion who will have to get past Bednarek to make it four in a row in Tokyo. Bednarek was asked what Lyles said as he turned around and gloated after securing his fifth national title at his favorite distance.
“What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did,” Bednarek said. “Unsportsmanlike … 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 to expand on his role in the tiff, Lyles was less forthcoming: “On coach’s orders, no comment.”
Bednarek has won silver and beaten Lyles the last two times they’ve lined up in the 200m at the Olympics, even though Lyles has had issues at both – in Tokyo with his mental health, then in Paris with Covid.
Bednarek referenced some long-simmering issues between the two. “Just some personal stuff we’ve got to handle,” he said.
When asked to expand on his rivalry with Bednarek, Lyles demurred, instead focusing on what a difficult year this has been for him after an injury in April kept him out of spikes until June.
“If they ain’t gonna beat me now, they ain’t gonna beat me ever,” Lyles said.
Bednarek wasn’t so sure. The 200m final was Bednarek’s fifth race of the week, counting the three heats of the 100m, where he won the final on Friday. Lyles, who has an automatic spot at worlds in that event as the defending champion, only ran one heat of the 100m.
“We’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens,” Bednarek said. “Because I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I can say.”