Kenny Bednarek did not appreciate Noah Lyles’ staredown at the line on Sunday in a tense U.S. men’s 200-meter final at Hayward Field, one that Lyles won in 19.63 seconds.
In fact, it compelled Bednarek, the reigning Olympic silver medalist at the distance who hadn’t lost a single individual race over the 2025 season, to shove Lyles just moments afterward. Bednarek, the U.S. champion at 100 meters on Friday, was second in 19.67 seconds.
The brewing rivalry was intensifying.
Inside the mixed zone, the 28-year-old Lyles declined to comment on the matter multiple times, citing “coach’s orders.”
Bednarek, however, issued a statement.
“I’ve said it for years, Noah is going to be Noah. If he wants to tear me down, that’s fine,” said Bednarek, 26, who ran a personal best 9.79 seconds on Friday in the 100 meters. “But I ran five rounds. He’s fresh. He can line up again and we’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens. I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Both are headed back to the World Athletics Championships, where they finished first and fifth in the 200 meters in Budapest in 2023. Robert Gregory was the U.S.’s third qualifier on Sunday, pocketing a time of 20.03 seconds.
Meanwhile, Erriyon Knighton, a back-to-back fourth-place finisher at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, was fifth in 20.14. His two races were his first two at the distance since February.
When pressed on what Lyles said at the line, Bednarek clarified.
“What he said doesn’t matter, it’s what he did. That’s it. That’s unsportsmanlike and I don’t deal with that.”
Before Sunday, Lyles ran just one round at USAs, submitting a time of 10.05 in the opening section of the 100 meters. Bednarek, meanwhile, had run four. He didn’t lose a single time over the first four days. Until, of course, his final race.
“Respect factor,” Bednarek said. “At the end of the day, he’s fresh. Last time he lined up, I beat him. That’s all I can say.”
But Lyles may have been looking to make a statement. The reigning Olympic 100-meter champion was automatically through to the World Athletics Championships via his 2023 wins in Budapest. On Friday, he watched the 100-meter final from the stands at Hayward Field.
Lyles had run just one 200-meter race before the weekend, scoring a massive win at the Monaco Diamond League in July over the Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo in 19.88. He hadn’t raced Bednarek yet.
The matchup may have been his focus. Lyles clocked the fastest time over the first round in 19.97, while Bednarek issued a time of 19.99. Something was bound to give.
Lyles struggled transitioning through the curve and trailed Bednarek. But he said afterward he felt his mechanics were there. He also felt confident throughout and didn’t doubt himself after 120 meters.
“The first biggest takeaway is I still know how to get up for it,” he said. “The second one is: It’s coming. It’s just going to take time. But I think I have to be in a mindset of, ‘If this takes me all the way to the first round of Tokyo to get it, then so be it.’”
With 60 meters to go, Lyles said he felt the race was his.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m coming for it,’” Lyles said. “He (Bednarek) ran out of energy. He ran out of momentum and mine was just starting to hit.”
Bednarek was effusive afterward.
“Next time we line up, I’m going to win.”
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Cory Mull is a reporter and editor living in Austin, Texas. He’s run three marathons, completed a 50K, and has a beer mile best somewhere in the nine-minute range. His work has appeared in Forbes, FloTrack, MileSplit, and Runner’s World.
