Noah Lyles successfully defended his 200m men’s title at the Toyota USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Sunday, and he celebrated in a way that left one of his rivals unhappy.
Lyles staged a late comeback to pass Kenny Bednarek at the finish line of Sunday’s race in Eugene, Or. As Lyles narrowly won the race, he stared Bednarek down and crossed over into Bednarek’s lane, which prompted Bednarek to shove Lyles. The two also seemed to exchange words during a tense post-race handshake.
During a joint post-race interview, there was still obvious tension between Lyles and Bednarek.
“I expect a call. You got a problem, I expect a call. That’s all I’m saying,” Bednarek said.
“You know what? You’re right. Let’s talk after this,” Lyles responded.
The complete Noah Lyles – Kenny Bednarek kerfuffle including the replays and the interview segment after pic.twitter.com/H0vlP88W6a
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At the end of the interview, Bednarek was asked about the conflict with Lyles.
“I’m not going to say it out here, but we’ve got something to talk about. That’s all I’m going to say,” Bednarek said.
Lyles ran the race in 19.63 seconds, giving him a record-tying fifth U.S. men’s 200m title. He reclaimed the title after finishing third in the event in the 2004 Paris Olympics, a race in which Bednarek came in ahead of him.
Lyles is no stranger to controversy. He clearly rubbed Bednarek the wrong way here, and he seemed to know it as well.
