A heated confrontation erupted between sprinters Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek at the U.S. track championships in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday, following the 200-meter final. Lyles won the race in 19.63 seconds, but the victory was overshadowed by a post-race shoving and shouting match between the competitors, setting up an anticipated rematch at the world championships in Tokyo on September 19.The incident unfolded when Lyles passed Bednarek for the win and stared him down, prompting Bednarek to respond with a two-handed shove in the back after crossing the finish line. The confrontation continued with heated words exchanged between the athletes.“Like I’ve said before, Noah’s going be Noah. If he wants to stare me down, that’s fine,” Bednarek said.The tension spilled into the NBC winner’s interview, where both athletes continued their verbal exchange.“I tell ya, if you’ve got a problem, I expect a call,” Bednarek said, to which Lyles responded: “You know what, you’re right. You’re right. Let’s talk after this.”“The summary is, don’t do that to me. I don’t do any of that stuff. It’s not good character right there. That’s pretty much it. At the end of the day, he won the race. I’ve got to give him props. He was the better man today,” Bednarek stated after the race.“What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did. Unsportsmanlike (expletive) and I don’t deal with that. It’s a respect factor. 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. That’s all that matters,” Bednarek added.When asked about the incident, Lyles simply stated: “On coach’s orders, no comment.”The rivalry between Lyles and Bednarek has emerged as a significant storyline in track and field, with Bednarek having won silver and beaten Lyles in their last two Olympic matchups.“Just some personal stuff we’ve got to handle,” Bednarek mentioned, referring to underlying issues between the two athletes.“If they ain’t gonna beat me now, they ain’t gonna beat me ever,” Lyles declared.
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The 200-meter final marked Bednarek’s fifth race of the week, including three heats of the 100 meters, which he won on Friday. Lyles, who has an automatic spot at worlds as defending champion, only ran one heat of the 100.In other competition results, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden secured victories in both the 200 meters with a personal-best time of 21.84 seconds and the 100 meters. Olympic champion Gabby Thomas qualified for the world team with a third-place finish.Dalilah Muhammad, 35, dominated the women’s 400 hurdles, which was notably missing Olympic champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who chose to focus on the open 400.The men’s 800 meters provided an exciting finish, with 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier defeating 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus and Bryce Hoppel.In the 5,000 meters, Shelby Houlihan, who recently returned to track after serving a four-year doping ban, edged out Elise Cranny for the title. Houlihan had previously tested positive after consuming what she claimed was a tainted burrito containing a performance-enhancing drug.“We’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens,” Bednarek said regarding the upcoming world championships rematch. “Because I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I can say.”
