Competition in the 200m sprints getting really intense: Kenny Bednarek

Looking forward to his home Olympics, Los Angeles 2028, double World and Olympics 200m silver medallist American sprinter ‘Kung Fu’ Kenny Bednarek is eyeing to clock 19.20 in 200m and 9.69 in 100m this year.

Bednarek, the international event ambassador of the 10th Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata, is keen to land gold in big events. “I want to hit 19.3 in the 200m, 19.2. I know I have the capability to do that……Going into this year, I feel pretty confident about my technique. For the 100m, I want to see if I can crack 9.72 or 9.69,” said Bednarek, who has personal bests of 19.57 and 9.79 in 200m and 100m respectively, here on Thursday.

On the tough competition in the men’s 200m, Bednarek said, “It’s getting very intense. Three years ago, it was just Noah (Lyles) and I. Now it seems every year there’s somebody trying to attain that gold medal. This year it was the closest 200m final (at the Worlds) I’ve ever been in and I was happy to come out with the medal…I’m a silver surfer right now, so I definitely want to change that colour.”

Bednarek says he enjoys his rivalry with compatriot Lyles. “There’s a little bit of pushing each other. They know I’m right there. I’m getting better every single year. This year was a pretty big step in my career and the next four years are going to be amazing. I’m expecting big things.”

About double Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, Bednarek said, “I didn’t know who he was when he won his first one. It’s good that he represented the country, (won) the first medal, especially the gold. India has a lot of talented people; they need the right coaching, training and recovery. If you have the right setup, then everybody can (win medals).”

According to Bednarek, sprinting is 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent physical.

Asked to pick between 100m and 200m, Bednarek said, “I think right now it would probably be the 100m, I mean, it’s shorter, it’s a lot easier. The 100m for me is like a warm-up. I don’t really get tired. I think that’s due to being a cross country [runner] and a 400m runner before I became a professional in 200m and 100m.”

When a race doesn’t go as planned, Bednarek said, “The first thing I do when I go look at the film with my coach…what did I do with the start? Did I react? Because sometimes a lot of athletes, their start isn’t consistent. I, in particular, have a good starting mechanism but my reaction time might be a little off.

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“We’re talking about milliseconds, right? If I’m one second a little bit slower than the other person, then I have a lot more catching up to do. Just looking at it from the start, looking at it towards the middle of the race to see what I need to improve upon. More important for me is what I do at the end. Am I maintaining max speed or am I messing up with form or technique?

“That’s the biggest thing when it comes to a 200m race and 100m race is everybody’s on the same playing field, but what’s going to be the biggest difference maker is, ‘Are you technically sound?’ I can hit top speed faster than somebody else but if I’m not technically sound, then I’m going to decelerate faster than the other person.”

On his inner circle, Bednarek said, “First person is my coach but I have a big team, whether it’s a physio, chiropractor they’re not professional when it comes to the mechanics of sprinting but I talk to anybody that looks at a race. They give me their feedback. Even if I win a race, I’m always like ‘What can I do to get better?’ We’re striving for perfection but there’s no such thing as perfect in this world. Every single time, win or lose, I need to talk to my people, my coach more particularly to see exactly what I can do.’

Kenny Bednarek said he wishes to break the 19.2-second mark in the 200m and the 9.69-second mark in the 100m.
| Photo Credit:
DEBASISH BHADURI

On his experience of participating in the Grand Slam Track, which ran into trouble over payment issues, Bednarek said, “We definitely need a league in the US, it would be good to tap into the American market over there but when it comes to having new businesses you are going to go through some growing pains, so I’m just happy that Michael Johnson tried something new because that’s something that we need in our sport. It did affect our sport a little bit when it comes to Diamond League and World Athletics is also coming up with the Ultimate Championship that’s coming next year. 

“It was kind of like a butterfly effect a little bit seeing that he was trying something new which kind of stirred everybody else to do something a little bit different but you know the news came out which is tough but I think he’s going to bounce back and I’m hoping that he can try to start something like that again because that’s what the sport really needs.”

About the fine run of the USA athletics at present, Bednarek said, “USA is looking very good. Noah got to secure the gold for us for Paris, which is a good thing. I’m expecting more [in the] next few years in the World championships and the next Olympics. Especially since the Olympics are going to be at home, I think that’s going to be one of the most important things. Make sure to try and fight for our country and get a bunch of medals.”

Published on Dec 18, 2025