The Jamaica and USA rivalry might never die in track and field. A year ago, Lyles edged Thompson by just .005 sec in the 100m final in Paris, and they haven’t faced each other since.
Recently, in an interview, the Jamaican had said, “I’m a very competitive person. I might not show it, but when it comes to competing with a phenomenal person, I think he’s a phenomenal athlete, great rival. So, yeah, of course, when he’s ready to step back on the track and we meet, it’s going to be fireworks for sure.” And there was a chance that this face-off almost happened. Both Thompson and Lyles were coming to the 2025 Prefontaine Classic.
But then the Olympic gold medalist had to pull out of the race because of the injury he did not want to take a risk with. The silver medalist claimed victory with a time of 9.85 seconds, outpacing a competitive field that included Zharnel Hughes and Trayvon Bromell, who finished second and third. So, while fans thought they could see a rematch of the 100m Paris Olympic finals only in the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in September, Christmas came early for sprinting enthusiasts.
It’s finally happening. Perhaps the most awaited face-off since the 100m finals of the Paris Olympics, and that too before the Worlds. Track & Field Gazette announced the lineup for the Silesia Diamond League yesterday, on August 9th.
They wrote, “Men’s 100m entries Silesia Diamond League — Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, Kenny Bednarek, Trayvon Bromell, Akani Simbine, Christian Coleman, Courtney Lindsey, Ackeem Blake, Oliwer Wdowik — August 16th.”
The 2025 Silesia Diamond League is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 16, at the Silesian Stadium (also known as Stadion Śląski) in Chorzów, Poland. And fans are excited: “Kishane for the win 9.79 Lyles runs 9.86 for 3rd.”
But the 100m will not be matched for Lyles and Thompson. Kenny Bednarek is also a part of this equation. Bednarek competed in the men’s 100-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He finished in seventh place with a time of 9.88 seconds. And fans don’t seem to be counting on him for the win.
Kishane for the win 9.79
Lyles runs 9.86 for 3rd https://t.co/JEUYnS9R1M
— jumpercity (@2Jumpercity) August 9, 2025
In the poll posted on X, asking who would win, Kenny received the lowest number of votes (6.6%) in the option between Noah, Kishane, and other. Noah LylesNoah Lyles got a total of 21.3%. The fans are putting a lot of faith in the Jamaican, giving him a big lead with 62.5% of the votes in his favor. That is almost ten times that of Kenny and thrice of Noah.
What do you speculate?
The post Kenny Bednarek Left Behind as Hype Builds for Kishane Thompson vs. Noah Lyles Showdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.