Kenny Bednarek Calls Out Noah Lyles for 'Unsportsmanlike S--t' After Altercation
Kenny Bednarek accused Noah Lyles of being "unsportsmanlike" after the two clashed at the end of the men's 200-meter final at the 2025 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon.
Bednarek told Serenity Douglas after the race that his altercation with Lyles had been about "little personal stuff, and we'll figure it out."
"What he said doesn't matter. It's just what he did, that's it," Bednarek told Douglas. "It's unsportsmanlike s--t, and I don't deal with that."
Lyles, who passed Bednarek down the stretch to win his fifth U.S. 200 meter title with a time of 19.63 seconds, looked across at Bednarek while they crossed the finish line. Bednarek responded by shoving him in the back.
Bednarek and Lyles were still speaking when the NBC Sports camera panned to them for a post-race interview.
"I expect a call. I'm telling you, if you've got a problem, I expect a call, that's all I'm saying," Bednarek told Lyles on the NBC Sports broadcast.
Lyles answered, "You know what, you're right. You're right. Let's talk after this."
When asked shortly afterward about the altercation, Bednarek said, “I’m not going to say it out here, but we’ve got something to do and talk about. That's all I've got to say."
Bednarek claimed second place with a time of 19.67 seconds, while Robert Gregory won third with a personal-best time of 19.80 seconds.
On Friday, Bednarek marked a personal-best time of his own by winning the men's 100 meter finals in 9.79 seconds.
Lyles, who had already automatically for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, had opted out of the race.
"Like I've said before, for years, no one's going to beat Noah. You want to stare me down, that's fine. But I ran five rounds, he's fresh. He can line up again when we're both fresh and see what happens, because I'm very confident I can beat him," Bednarek told Douglas.
Bednarek continued, "Last time we lined it up, I beat him. So, that's all I can say. Next time we line it up, I'm going to win. That's all that matters to me."
All eyes will be on the rivalry between Lyles and Bednarek in the lead up to the men's 200-meter race at Worlds this fall. Lyles claimed gold in each of the last three World Championships dating back to 2019.
