Noah Lyles Discusses Kenny Bednarek and Having No Rivals

Noah Lyles doesn’t have a rival. That’s according to the sprinter himself.

One might think Oblique Seville would qualify, as the Jamaican beat Lyles in the 100 meters at this fall’s World Athletics Championships. So, too, might fellow American Kenny Bednarek, whose shove of Lyles at the U.S. track championships in August created headlines and social media chatter up through Worlds.

Lyles stared down Bednarek in the final paces of the U.S. 200m final and past the finish line, which he now concedes was more aggressive than an act of gamesmanship. Still, he remains adamant that the shove that followed was unwarranted. “That was pure assault,” he said.

Having just gotten into WWE this year — his mother wouldn’t allow him to watch growing up — Lyles seems to have the scripting of professional wrestling in mind when saying things would have been different had they agreed to the shove prior.

Bad blood certainly doesn’t hurt in creating a rivalry, but that isn’t the only factor Lyles thinks is required. Competition is paramount, meaning both parties need to have enough wins on their side.

It’s also crucial for the matchups to be consistent, and Lyles thinks track needs more organization to ensure the biggest names are racing against each other more often.

Lyles and Bednarek did go back-to-back at the U.S. finals and the World Championships. But to anyone thinking the shove made the next win sweeter, Lyles insists he wasn’t thinking about it at all. America’s sprinter-in-chief isn’t putting it behind him — it is behind him.

Plus, he has another name in his sights: the man with the greatest legacy in the sport, Usain Bolt.

This story originally appeared in-print as a sidebar to the cover story on Noah Lyles.