Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Tensions flared at the USA Track and Field Championships on Sunday (August 3) between Olympic sprinters Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek, CNN reports.
Lyles overtook Bednarek during the final stretch of the men's 200m final at the USA Track and Field Championships, beating his rival by just 0.04 seconds. As he surged ahead, Lyles turned to look at Bednarek, leaving the second-place finisher visibly upset.
Bednarek shoved Lyles in the back as he crossed the finish line behind the Olympic gold medalist. The clash escalated with Lyles saying, "I expect my apology," as he rejected Bednarek's handshake. The pair continued to exchange words as Lyles' post-race interview began.
Lyles and Bednarek ultimately agreed to talk off the track, but the latter later called his rivals' actions "unsportsmanlike."
“Noah is going to be Noah. What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did. Unsportsmanlike sh*t and I don’t deal with that," Bednarek told reporters after the race. “The grand summary is: don’t do that to me. I don’t do any of that stuff. I think it’s not good character right there. That’s pretty much it. At the end of the day, he won the race, so I’ve got to give him his props. He was the better man today.”
Lyles declined to discuss the altercation on Sunday, saying only: “No comment.”
The rivalry between the two sprinters has been building for years. Bednarek took silver in both the Tokyo and Paris Olympic 200m finals, beating out Lyles. However, Lyles remains to be the fastest American ever at 200m and a three-time world champion.
The pair could meet again at the World Championships in Tokyo next month.
“It’s just some personal stuff that we gotta handle,” Bednarek said Sunday. “He’s got my number. If he wants to call me, he has every chance to do it. But he wants to come out and do that. I think that’s funny.”
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