The anticipation was real. Questions hung in the air: could Noah Lyles hold off a strong, in-form Kenny Bednarek in the 200m final at the USATF Championships? Bednarek’s 19.59 and unbeaten streak had many tipping the scales in his favor. Lyles, though, is no stranger to doubt. He’s heard it before. Quietly confident, he stepped onto the track with something to prove.
At the climax of the men’s 200 m final at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Noah Lyles crossed the line in a world-leading 19.63 s, narrowly holding off Kenny Bednarek, who clocked 19.67s for silver. But the drama didn’t end there: video clips trending on social media caught a tense moment immediately after the finish, where Lyles slows and glances back, and Bednarek appears to lightly push him from behind. What was it all about? Hear from the man himself.
“Um, on coach’s orders, no comment,” said Noah Lyles in the post-race interview with LetsRun today when he was asked about the incident with Bednarek. His head coach is Lance Brauman, but why would he ask Noah to do such an act? Maybe to send a message? He might have wanted Kenny to be warned that Noah is still the Olympic gold medalist and a three-time world champion.
This is a developing report…
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