While the world watched in shock as US sprint sensation Noah Lyles was taken off the track in a wheelchair at last year’s Paris Olympics, another American star was sharing a special moment with his mother.
Kenny Bednarek had just finished ahead of the favorite Lyles in the 200m final to claim his second successive silver medal, losing only to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.
And the first person Bednarek sought in the crowd on that dramatic August night was his proud mom Mary, who was in tears as she hugged her adopted son.
‘She’s been my No. 1 supporter since day one. She has been the biggest influence on my life,’ the 26-year-old, known as ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ for his signature headband, tells the Daily Mail.
‘If it wasn’t for her, for adopting my brother and I and giving me the opportunity to pursue track and field, I have no clue where I would be.
‘Before I was adopted, I was in a worse situation, so I was just happy that I had somebody like her to take care of me, love me and nurture me.’
Team USA star Kenny Bednarek finished second in the Olympic 200m final at last year’s Paris Games
The first person the track star sought in the crowd after winning the silver medal was his proud mom Mary
The Olympian and his twin brother Ian were adopted by Mary at the age of four and moved to Wisconsin
Born in Oklahoma, Bednarek and his twin brother Ian were abandoned by their biological parents and bounced between foster homes before being adopted by Mary at the age of four and moving to Wisconsin.
That part of Bednarek’s backstory has been well covered, and features in the second season of the Netflix series Sprint.
What has not been shared until now, however, are the harrowing memories Bednarek has of his traumatic early life.
‘I remember like three things, but they’re not good memories,’ he recalls. ‘One of the memories I have is of doing something naughty as a kid and as a punishment they put me in the freezer.
‘I don’t know if it was my mom or dad or who was there. But it was kind of, “You’re going to be put in the freezer for a little bit as a punishment”.
‘Another time, I remember waking up in the middle of night and having a bloody nose. That wasn’t anything crazy, but not a good memory. And then we were playing football at one point inside the house with one of my brothers, and he ended up getting in an accident and had to go to the hospital.
‘That’s pretty much it. Nothing really good. That’s why I’m like, “OK, if I was still with my biological parents, I don’t know where I’d be,” because the memories I have right now, they’re not good.’
Despite such horrific memories, Bednarek is still curious to find out more about his biological parents. He said on Sprint last year that he would try to track down his birth family – which includes another two brothers and sister – if he won gold at the Olympics. While he was not victorious at Paris 2024, Bednarek remains keen to learn about his heritage.
‘I definitely have that curiosity of just seeing what they look like,’ he says. ‘When my brother and I were adopted, there was kind of nothing left for us to have a clue. I don’t even know my parents’ names.
‘I don’t think I want to do it because I want to establish a relationship. I just want to know because it’s like a missing part of a puzzle.
‘Am I going to be bald when I’m 50? Do I have any health things that I need worry about? It’s just something that I need to do in the future.’
Bednarek, pictured with his adoptive family and girlfriend, has previously spoken about his childhood on the Netflix series Sprint
The 26-year-old, who is ‘confident’ about the upcoming track season, holds his silver medal at the Stade de France last summer
Bednarek’s journey is an inspirational story of overcoming adversity through sport, and he hopes it can motivate other children who have had a tough start in life.
‘That’s something I definitely want to do, be the blueprint for the younger generation, and show them that no matter what background you come from, you can attain anything,’ he says.
‘Coming from foster care and adoption has given me the ability to persevere through anything. It gave me that extra drive and motivation to be the best I could be.
‘It’s made me a hard worker. I have had that grit my whole life. No matter what situation I kind of get into, I always end up getting my way out of there and accomplish my goals.’
Bednarek’s next goal is to win the inaugural edition of Grand Slam Track, the new big-money track series launched by legendary Olympian Michael Johnson.
The US star has signed up to compete in all four meets of the new league, which starts in Jamaica today. Athletes will then take part at three more meets in Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles over the next two months.
Bednarek will race in the short sprints category – the 100m and 200m – with a record $100,000 prize on the line at each event.
‘For some athletes, it’s going to be life-changing money,’ Bednarek says. ‘The fact that the purse is a lot bigger, I love that, because we are all top-of-the crop, elite athletes. And I think it is about time that we get paid for all the hard work we do. It’s good for the sport.
‘We don’t want track and field to just be every four years when everybody tunes in. MJ is doing a good job promoting the sport and giving us the opportunity to try to make the sport bigger out here.
The US sprint star is nicknamed ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ because of his signature headband
Bednarek has signed up to Grand Slam Track, the new big-money track series launched by veteran Olympian Michael Johnson (pictured)
‘It’s obviously not going to change everything overnight, but a lot of people have talked about changing the sport for many years, and he’s finally taking the initiative of trying to do that.
‘This is just a stepping stone. Hopefully it will change the trajectory of where the sport is headed.’
Bednarek will battle it out with his fellow ‘racers’ – the US’s Fred Kerley, Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Jamaica’s Oblique Seville – at all four Slams. Another four ‘challengers’ will make up the field at each event.
Is he confident? ‘Very,’ he replies. ‘My block starts are way better than they’ve ever been. I have just got to be myself, have fun, and if I execute my race the way I need to, then I’m going to win.’
Of particular intrigue is Bednarek’s head-to-head with Kerley, the Olympic 100m bronze medalist and former world champion, who made headlines in January when he was Tasered and arrested by police following a confrontation in Miami.
In February, Miami-Dade State attorneys said they plan to prosecute Kerley on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty.
‘Fred is Fred,’ says Bednarek of his US relay teammate. ‘He’s a big trash talker, so I’ve got to respond in kind. But once we step on that line, whether it’s Fred or somebody else, I’m just going to compete and try to whoop their ass.’
Bednarek will battle it out with his fellow ‘racers’ – the US’s Fred Kerley, Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Jamaica’s Oblique Seville – at all four Slams which start in Jamaica today
Bednarek has accused his sprint rival Noah Lyles, pictured, of being ‘scared’ to race in Grand Slam Track
One American whom Bednarek will not be facing is Lyles. The Olympic 100m champion initially refused to join Johnson’s new league because there was no major broadcast partner. However, deals have since been signed with NBC and The CW in the US, and TNT Sports in the UK.
‘He was saying that in the beginning, but all those things are here now,’ Bednarek says. ‘So it’s kind of like, “Why are you not here?” I just don’t think he wants to compete against us. He’s scared!
‘Obviously he’s a phenomenal athlete and he does his thing every single year. But he’s not one to really want to race everybody back-to-back, which is what Grand Slam is going to do.
‘If you want to make your money, you want to win all those races, you have to beat us four times in a row. Early in the season, he’s not one to really try to compete against me, Fred and all of us, so many times.’
Bednarek will have to wait until later in the summer before he takes on Lyles again – with the two expected to go head to head at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
And Bednarek has high hopes for the competition, which is the climax of the track season. He is hoping to emulate what Lyles achieved at the last championships in Budapest in 2023 by taking the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles.
‘I am trying to get three gold medals,’ he adds. ‘I am quite capable of getting that done. That is the goal.’
‘My start has been the best it’s ever been so the sky is the limit for me. I’m really excited. I can’t wait to start running.’
