It seems that Team USA just can’t catch a break. Why? Well, the track and field was just the middle of an epic win. Sprint sensation Kenny Bednarek has just clinched the gold in the men’s 100m at the GST with a razor-thin margin of 0.01 seconds. The man he overtook? None other than Jamaica’s own Oblique Seville. But just as Kenny was celebrating in the heartland of Kingston and starting to forget the ghost of past Olympics, a certain tweet changed everything. So what did the tweet say?
Well, quite a lot. After all, the tweet hadn’t come from any athlete. No, rather, it was the NBC Sports director, Travis Miller, who decided to stir the pot with a well-timed troll aimed at Team USA’s shaky Olympic relay legacy. But the timing couldn’t have been worse. Right as Bednarek, who’s got two Olympic silver medals under his belt, basked in his solo sprint glory, Miller reminded everyone of where the real pressure still lies.
After all, it is not just about winning individual races but also about passing the baton when the lights are brightest. But where did it start from? Well, Kenny Bednarek, or Kungfu Kenny as he likes to call himself, had tossed out a pretty harmless question on X: “What’s one underrated skill every sprinter should master?” You’d think the replies would range from block starts to the drive phase. But NBC Sports director Travis Miller? He didn’t miss the chance to throw a curveball. He simply responded with a picture of a baton exchange.
https://t.co/a6LUFxUAKk pic.twitter.com/9eUM8k6VxA
— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) April 13, 2025
No words, no tag, just a visual mic drop that said everything. So, what was he referring to? Let’s just say… the memory still stings. At the Paris Olympics, the U.S. men’s 4×100 relay team, stacked with stars, fumbled what could’ve been a medal moment. A misfire during the handoff between Christian Coleman (a strong force in the 4x100m relay) and Bednarek sent shockwaves.
The exchange happened outside the legal zone, and it doomed the team before they even crossed the line. Officially, they placed seventh, but it didn’t matter. They were disqualified. Canada, riding Andre De Grasse’s rocket anchor leg, took gold. South Africa and Great Britain rounded out the podium. The Americans? Left stunned once again on the sidelines.
“It just didn’t happen,” Coleman admitted after the race. He further added, “Maybe we could’ve put in some more work. I just think in the moment, it didn’t happen. … We practiced a lot. I and Kenny are competitors but also teammates a few times a year. And we felt really confident going out there. In the moment, it just didn’t happen.” That became the American refrain, quiet frustration, and yet another missed Olympic moment.
With that, the drought has now stretched for nearly 20 years. But the U.S. men haven’t stood on the 4×100 podium since 2004, and they haven’t struck gold since 2000. That’s wild, considering the sheer sprinting depth they boast every cycle. And yes, even without Jamaica’s golden relay squads in the mix.
Kung Fu Kenny owns Jamaican turf with a photo-finish win
Kenny Bednarek lit up Kingston in true “Kung Fu Kenny” style, closing out the first day of the Grand Slam Track meet with a heart-stopping win in the men’s 100m. Edging Jamaica by just a hundredth of a second (10.07 to 10.08), Bednarek silenced the home crowd and proved once again why he’s a clutch performer under pressure.
Fred Kerley may have slipped back to seventh, but the night belonged to Bednarek, who delivered when it mattered most. And Kenny wasn’t shy about the struggle. “I feel like I’ve got a lot more to improve,” he admitted after the race. “My block starts have been looking good this year, but I really didn’t get to show in the race… I just had to make sure to reel them in. That’s what I did.”
His grit showed in every stride, clawing back from a shaky start to snatch the win. Barely. But he did it. It was raw, it was real, and fans felt every ounce of that fight. Rodney Green wasn’t about to let the moment pass unnoticed. “Kenny Bednarek, ‘Kung Fu Kenny,’ came through with the hat trick: the 100 and the 200, letting people know, ‘Boy, hey, I ain’t scared, man!’”
Green even gave a nod to Bednarek’s standout flair, from his bandana to his trademark swagger. In a world where style and speed often go hand in hand, Kenny proved he’s got both in abundance. Too bad his post-race X post got trolled. What do you think? Will he take the bait and clap back or continue his dominant track performances, proving them wrong?
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