Top sprinters Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek will have another intense rivalry race in the 100-m event at the upcoming 2025 Lausanne Diamond League, following their recent heated showdown at the USA Track and Field Championships.
Both athletes had an argument on Aug 2, after Lyles stared down his rival when he finally crossed the 200-m finish line, just 0.04 seconds ahead. Moreover, there was tension between the two ever since the 2024 Paris Olympics, when Bednarek accused Lyles of being “unsportsmanlike.”
With this, Bednarek declared: “What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did… 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 won silver in the 200-m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics and defeated Lyles, who won bronze. Lestile Tebogo from Botswana won gold.
“We’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens. Because I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I can say,” Bednarek added.
In response, Noah Lyles stated: “If they ain’t gonna beat me now, they ain’t gonna beat me ever.”
On social media, netizens expressed that they are thrilled about the intense rivalry between the athletes and remarked: “This is what track and field needs!! Add a little fire to the mix. Great race,” “Finally some bad blood in track again.. LOVE IT,” and “Don’t really mind this actually. You can call it unsportsmanlike, but on the other hand… It is still competitive sport on the highest level. It’s not like they’re tripping each other.”
Noah Lyles vs. Kenny Bednarek didn’t disappoint in a tense 200m. 🍿
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/NEADV4AcKF
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2025
In similar news, Noah Lyles also had a much-awaited competition against Tyreek Hill. However, the anticipated race did not push through.
Unfortunately, Lyles canceled the race despite all arrangements being prepared and the race being all set. The Olympic champion stated the reason for the cancellation: “We were very deep into creating the event… In fact, it was supposed to happen this weekend. Unfortunately, there were some things, complications, and personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass, but we were full on. We were going to shut down New York’s Times Square and everything, it was going to be a lot of fun.”
The tension started between them when Noah Lyles won the 100-metre gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He and Tyreek Hill, a Miami Dolphins receiver, have been engaging in trash talk since then, and this has been fueled by Hill’s challenge to race against Lyles in a 50-metre race.
Read more about Noah Lyles and Tyreek Hill’s rivalry here.
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