WATCH-Noah Lyles’ intense stare down with Kenny Bednarek leads to post-race shove at 2025 USATF Championships

Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek clashed following their participation in the 200m final of the USA Track and Field Championships on Sunday. The duo engaged in an argument that also involved Bednarek pushing Lyles on the track. The two sprinters both took part in the 200m final, and Lyles came in first with a 19.63-second finish. Bednarek was second, only 0.04 seconds behind Lyles. The two clashed after Lyles glanced in the direction of Bednarek as he reached the finish line and took first position.

They engaged in a shouting confrontation with Bednarek, also shoving Lyles in the back. I expect my apology," Lyles said after he initially declined Bednarek's offer of a handshake, according to CNN.

Watch the video here:

Lyles declined to comment when questioned about the incident by reporters following the race. Bednarek said that he believed his actions weren't sportsmanlike. "Noah is going to be Noah," he was quoted saying in an interview.

‘Noah is going to be Noah’

“Noah is going to be Noah,” he said. “What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did. Unsportsmanlike s**t and I don’t deal with that. It’s a respect factor. At the end of the day, 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.” “The grand summary is: don’t do that to me. I don’t do any of that stuff. I think it’s not good character right there. That’s pretty much it,” Bednarek added. “At the end of the day, he won the race, so I’ve got to give him his props. He was the better man today.”

Even if he refused to say what their disagreement is over, Bednarek said that he and Lyles had experienced some tension in life outside of the track. “It’s just some personal stuff that we gotta handle. He’s got my number, if he wants to call me, he has every chance to do it, but he wants to come out and do that. I think that’s funny,” he said. “At the end of the day, he can call me whenever, we can discuss it and we should be good.”

Bednarek and Lyles will again face each other at the World Championships in Tokyo this coming month.