Kenny Bednarek turn heads with one-of-a-kind entry at Miami Grand Slam Track

Kenny Bednarek landed in Miami in style for the second stop of the Grand Slam Track League. Bednarek sported his signature Naruto-inspired look and even had two performers to make his entry grand.

Kenny Bednarek had a mixed Olympic campaign in the 2024 Paris, winning the silver medal in the 200m and finishing seventh in the 100m event. At the Diamond League finals, he avenged his Olympic 200m loss and soared past rivals to clinch the win in 19.67. Letsile Tebogo, who became the first Saint Lucian sprinter to win gold in the 200m in Paris, trailed Bednarek in 19.80.

The two-time Olympic silver medalist was absent from track action after the Diamond League but signed with Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track League's inaugural edition, slated for 2025. In the first stop of the GST in Jamaica, Bednarek clinched the top spot in the 100m, finishing in 10.07s and leaving Oblique Seville and Zharnel Hughes in second and third.

As per the recent update, he landed in Miami for the League's second stop, turning heads with his grand entry in Kung-Fu style. He sported a red shirt with white pants and accessorized the outfit with his signature headband. Some martial artists escorted him and showed off moves as cameras captured the act.

Here's the video:

Bednarek has always been vocal about his love for anime and how the character Naruto was integral in the creation of his alter ego, 'Kung Fu Kenny'.

"He’s a very persistent character and doesn’t give up no matter what. I kind of resonate with that. Whatever you want to achieve, it will not come to you — you have to work for it. You have to go get it,” he said (via Yahoo Sports).

Bednarek competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he won his first silver in the 200m.

Kenny Bednarek eyeing three Olympic gold medals

Bednarek looks on at the 2024 Summer Olympics - Day 13 - (Source: Getty)

Kenny Bednarek was a dominant force in the 200m at the Paris Games, but his 4x100m relay dreams ended in the wake of a disqualification. After the stint, he shared a post on his X handle, reflecting on the experience and declaring that he would vie for three gold medals at the 2028 LA Olympics.

"2x Olympian and 2x Silver Medalist. Representing my country and Team USA is an honor I’ll never take lightly. Competing in three events this year has taught me so much, and it’s only fueled my hunger for more. LA 2028 is in my sights and I’m aiming for one thing: 3 gold medals."

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Kenny Bednarek earned silver in the 200m event at the 2022 World Championships. He also had a brief football career at Rice Lake.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder