After pushing his rival, sprinter Kenny Bednarek has made up with Noah Lyles. He still expects ‘fireworks’ at their next race

By George Ramsay, Coy Wire, CNN

(CNN) — Sprint star Kenny Bednarek told CNN Sports that he has cleared the air with Noah Lyles after a heated conclusion to their 200-meter race at the USA Track and Field Championships.

Lyles finished just ahead of Bednarek in Sunday’s event, looking over at his rival as he took the lead and surged across the finish line. Bednarek, apparently irked by the sideways glance, responded by pushing Lyles in the back.

The pair then came together and exchanged words before eventually shaking hands, though Bednarek later told reporters that he thought Lyles’ behavior was “unsportsmanlike” and disrespectful.

Now, however, the two-time Olympic silver medalist says that there is no bad blood between them.

“As you saw, Noah stared me down. I gave a push. I feel like we both could have handled that situation a little bit differently and with more respect,” Bednarek told CNN Sports.

“Emotions were high, you’re still in the running phase and all that stuff. But we both decided to discuss the situation after the event was done and that’s what we did. We had about an hour-long conversation and it was a really good, honest conversation. We both came to an agreement with things and we’re good now.”

The incident has only heightened tensions ahead of next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where Lyles and Bednarek will go head-to-head in the 100m and 200m.

Lyles, the defending world and Olympic champion over 100m, has the edge over his compatriot with Sunday’s 200m victory in Eugene, but Bednarek has been in the form of his life of late, running a personal best of 9.79 seconds in the 100m to take his first national title in the event.

For many track and field fans, the burgeoning rival between two of the fastest men in the world is exactly what the sport needs.

“We’re both high competitors, and I want to win just as bad as he wants to win and has been winning,” said Bednarek. “The situation happened and we just wanted to move on from it and we’re in a good place right now.

“We’re good with each other and we’re just excited to line it up again in Tokyo and getting ready for going against the world.”

Bednarek and Lyles, a six-time world champion, are set to renew their rivalry at the Diamond League meet in Lausanne, Switzerland later this month.

According to World Athletics data, the pair have faced each other 18 times in 100m and 200m finals, with Lyles getting the better of Bednarek in 14 of those.

Their latest head-to-head in Eugene looked to be going the way of Bednarek, traditionally a 200m specialist, as he moved past Lyles and took a commanding lead down the home straight.

Lyles, however, is renowned for his strong finish, and hit back in the closing meters to take the victory in 19.63 seconds – the fastest time in the world this year and just 0.04 seconds ahead of Bednarek.

“When it comes to 100 and 200, that rivalry that me and Noah really have right there, it’s real, and every single time we step on the track, you’re going to expect some fireworks,” said the 26-year-old.

“It’s going to be intense every single time we step on that track … He got the better of me and I feel like when we line it up again, I’m going to win and that’s the confidence that I have in my ability.”

Bednarek, whose headbands have earned him the nickname “Kung Fu Kenny,” is still yet to win a major world or Olympic title, but he might feel like this year could be his time.

Having won all six of his races across three Grand Slam Track meets between April and June, Bednarek was crowned Racer of the Year in the inaugural season of the league launched by sprinting great Michael Johnson.

He owns the second-fastest times in the world this year in the 100m and 200m, behind Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in the former and, of course, Lyles in the latter.

The uptick in his performances, Bednarek thinks, is down to a “mental shift” in recent months.

“The physical parts have been there for a very long time,” he explained to CNN Sports, “but I think this year I just came in with a different mindset. It’s one thing wanting to win, but then believing that you can win – I feel like this year that’s the mentality that changed.

“Everything that my coach has been teaching me throughout the years, I really didn’t understand it. I think with the maturity of being a professional athlete, everything is starting to come in sync. I’m starting to understand the little things and it’s just helped my performance skyrocket.”

With the World Championships on the horizon and a fierce rivalry to fuel him, this could be Bednarek’s turn to step into the spotlight. A gold medal on the global stage must now feel closer than ever before.

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