Kenny Bednarek vs Noah Lyles: Comparing the two Americans as they eye a spot in the 200m Olympic team

Kenny Bednarek has just clocked a scorching hot 19.67 at the Doha Diamond League to take the win and set a new world lead, meet record, and personal best. With this performance, Bednarek has become a renewed threat to Noah Lyles as the two Americans gear up to make it to the 2024 Olympics.

Both the sprinters have already ducked under the qualification mark for the Games, and will be facing each other at the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials before they clash in Paris.

In the 200m, Lyles has always been the superior athlete of the duo, wth Bednarek trailing his compatriot 1-10 in their head-to-head. However, the one time he did get past Lyles was at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when he surged to silver ahead of the reigning 100m and 200m World Champion.

In terms of timings, 26-year-old Lyles is once again the faster sprinter. His personal best in the distance is 19.31, good enough to give his claim to the American record. The Olympic bronze medalist is also undefeated in the 200m since the 2020 Games.

Meanwhile, Kenny Bednarek has the upper hand in the duo's 100m head-to-head. In the four times they've clashed, the Tokyo silver-medalist has won twice, and fallen short once. Their most recent clash in the distance came at the 2024 Tom Jones Memorial, where they tied for gold with a time of 10.01.

Lyles does however hold the faster personal best even in this distance, having clocked a 9.83 as opposed to Kenny Bednarek’s 9.89. While the two have never gone head-to-head in the 60m and 400m, Lyles holds the faster time in the former with a 6.43, while Bednarek leads in the latter with a 44.73.

Kenny Bednarek on clocking the 200 world lead

Going into the 200m sprint at the Doha Diamond League, Kenny Bednarek was faced with a stacked field. Obstacles on his way to the win included compatriots Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King, as well as Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh.

However, Bednarek seemed confident off his ability to storm ahead of the field before the race began, sharing a message on X (formerly Twitter) that said,

“19.67s - MR, WL, PB🥋 I’M COMING FOR IT ALL”

The American certainly delivered on his promise, clocking the exact time that he said he would. Speaking after the race, he said,

“I wanted the world lead (world’s fastest time in 2024), and I got it. I’m back and better than ever. Last two years, I was hurt. I’m here to go for the trials and for the Olympics.”

Joining Kenng Bednarek for the top three in Doha were fellow Americans Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King, with times of 20.01 and 20.21 respectively.