American sprinter Kenny Bednarek has branded compatriot Noah Lyles as “unsportsmanlike” after the latter beat him to gold in the 200m event at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The duo were racing in the 200m event at the annual championships in Oregon – with Lyles pipping his Team USA teammate to gold with a time of 19.63s – and were involved in a scuffle as they crossed the finish line, with Bednarek pushing Lyles and the pair exchanging words.
“I tell you, if you’ve got a problem, I expect a call,” Bednarek said in the post-race interview. “You know what, you’re right. You’re right. Let’s talk after this,” replied Lyles.
Speaking individually later on, Bednarek said: “Like I’ve said before, Noah’s going to be Noah. If he wants to stare me down, that’s fine.
“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.
“What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did,” Bednarek said. “Unsportsmanlike [expletive], 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,” he added.
“On coach’s orders, no comment,” said Lyles when asked about the incident.
The result means that the pair face a rematch at the World Championships in Tokyo on 19 September, with Lyles a three-time defending world champion in his favourite event and the defending champion in the 100m too.
And Bednrek said that the pair will “go fresh and we’ll see what happens” in Japan. “I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I can say,” he added.
