Noah Lyles shoved by Kenny Bednarek for 'unsportsmanlike' taunt at USA Track and Field Championships

Gilbert McGregor

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Noah Lyles shoved by Kenny Bednarek for 'unsportsmanlike' taunt at USA Track and Field Championships image

Track isn't considered a contact sport, but there was plenty of contact at the end of the U.S. 200-meter final in Eugene, Ore.

The rivalry between Olympic track stars Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek entered another chapter Sunday, as things briefly got physical between the two. Cooler heads prevailed as things did not escalate, but the contact between Bednarek and Lyles quickly made the rounds, as did their quotes after.

Here is more to know about the brief incident between Bednarek and Lyles, and what each track star has said about the run-in.

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Kenny Bednarek-Noah Lyles shove

It was a tense 200-meter final, as Bednarek got out to an early lead ahead of Lyles and the rest of the runners.

As they neared the finish, however, Lyles gained a late lead and stared down Bednarek, who was one lane over. Lyles earned a first-place finish with an impeccable time of 19.63 seconds, but as he crossed the finish line, he was pushed by a visibly irritated Bednarek.

Immediately after the push, Lyles turns around and backpedals with his arms outstretched, as if he were asking Bednarek if there was a problem. Bednarek gestured back similarly before attempting to shake Lyles' hand.

The two shook hands and exchanged words, but the back-and-forth did not seem to ease the tension.

MORE: Why Noah Lyles runs in diamond chain link necklace | How Kenny Bednarek earned 'Kung Fu Kenny' nickname

"Noah's gonna be Noah," Bednarek said after the race. "If you wanna stare me down, that's fine. I ran five rounds; he's fresh. He can line it up again when we're both fresh, and we can see what happens, because I'm very confident I can beat him."

Bednarek added that "What [Lyles] said doesn't matter, it's just what he did. It's unsportsmanlike s—, and I don't deal with that."

Lyles took a different approach after the race, saying "No comment" when asked about the run-in with Bednarek, while three-time Olympic gold medalist Rai Benjamin joked that the tension is "good for the sport, I guess."

With the personal rivalry growing, there are sure to be plenty of eyes on the next event that will feature both Bednarek and Lyles.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.