It all got a little tense after Noah Lyles got the better of rival Kenny Bednarek in the 200m final at the USA Track and Field Championships on Sunday.
On this occasion, Lyles beat Bednarek after reeling in his opponent on the final stretch, finishing in 19.63 seconds.
Bednarek finished 0.04 seconds behind but was annoyed by Lyles’ decision to look across at his lane in the final meters – something sprinters usually do to gloat.
As a result, Bednarek shoved Lyles in the back after crossing the finishing line, a flashpoint which triggered some choice words between the two.
“I expect my apology,” Lyles could be heard saying, after appearing to initially refuse Bednarek’s attempts at a handshake following a stare down.
The pair’s argument then bled into NBC’s winner’s interview, with both sprinters eventually agreeing to talk off track.
Speaking to reporters after the race, Bednarek explained what had gone on between the two.
“Noah is going to be Noah,” Bednarek said.
“What he said didn’t matter; it’s just what he did. Unsportsmanlike sh*t and I don’t deal with that.
“It’s a respect factor. At the end of the day, 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.”
He added: “The grand summary is: don’t do that to me. I don’t do any of that stuff. I think it’s not a good character right there. That’s pretty much it. At the end of the day, he won the race, so I’ve got to give him his props. He was the better man today.”
Bednarek has beaten Lyles in both of the last two Olympic 200m finals, winning silver on both occasions.
Lyles, though, is the fastest American to ever run the 200m and is a three-time world champion over the distance.
World Championship rematch
The pair will have the opportunity to meet again at the World Championships in Tokyo next month, a potential final which will now attract far more attention.
After Sunday’s race, Lyles refused to speak about the feud with Bednarek, saying “no comment” when asked about it by reporters.
Meanwhile, Bednarek said the pair has some figuring out to do, pointing toward an ongoing feud between the two. It’s not clear what the disagreement is about.
“It’s just some personal stuff that we gotta handle. He’s got my number; if he wants to call me, he has every chance to do it, but he wants to come out and do that. I think that’s funny,” Bednarek told reporters.
“At the end of the day, he can call me whenever, we can discuss it, and we should be good.”
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