What happened between Noah Lyles' and Kenny Bednarek? Everything about the beef that unfolded at the USATF Championships

Noah Lyles once again proved his mettle by winning the 200m event at the USATF Nationals. However, his brilliant performance was unfortunately overshadowed by his subsequent feud with teammate Kenny Bednarek.

Lyles recorded a new seasonal best of 19.63 seconds at the USATF National Outdoor Championship finals, followed by Kenny Bednarek who clocked 19.67 seconds. Robert Gregory finished third with a timing of 19.80 seconds.

Lyles was involved in a little heated moment with Bednarek, who pushed him as the latter gave him a stare. The two exchanged words before ultimately shaking hands after the race.

The Olympic champion refused to comment over this issue, while Bednarek called him out for his alleged 'unsportsmanship like conduct'. In his words,

""What he said didn't matter, it's just what he did. Unsportsmanlike **** 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."

Noah Lyles previously pulled out of the 100m finals at the USATF Nationals. Kenny Bednarek went on to win the race, with a personal best of 9.79 seconds, followed by Courtney Lindsey and T'Mars McCallum, who finished second and third, respectively.

When Noah Lyles issued a challenge to Kenny Bednarek

Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships [Image Source: Getty]

2025 USATF Nationals wasn't the first time Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek were involved in an intense face-off. A year ago, Kenny Bednarek clocked a world lead time of 19.67 seconds at the Doha Diamond League.

Lyles was extremely impressed by this achievement, as he posted on his X account [formerly Twitter],

"Shout out to @kenny_bednarek for that 19.6 world lead that was impressive! I will let you keep it till June 9th"

Bednarek took the challenge in sporting spirit as he replied,

"Challenge accepted"

Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek competed against each other twice at the Paris Olympics. Bednarek finished seventh overall in the 100m finals, with a timing of 9.88 seconds, while Lyles won the gold medal in an intense faceoff with Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson.

However, the sprinter made up for it by beating Lyles in the 200m event, winning the silver medal with a timing of 19.62 seconds while Lyles managed to clinch a bronze medal. This was also Lyles' second consecutive bronze medal in the 200m event after the one he won at Tokyo Olympics.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua