American Sprinter Criticizes Noah Lyles for ‘Favoritism’ at Paris Games

Controversy has erupted between American teammates over perceived ‘favouritism’ in a glamour Paris Olympics event.

“Kung Fu Kenny” is not happy.
American sprinter Kenny Bednarek, who is known by the moniker above, is hoping to dethrone superstar compatriot Noah Lyles in the men’s 200m final at the Paris Olympics.

But Bednarek has thrown an accusation of “favouritism” towards Games organisers over the starting positions for the blue ribbon race at the Paris track.

While Lyles, who took out the 100m earlier at the Games and is aiming for the sprint double, has been handed a favourable lane 5 for the race, Bednarek was initially listed in the far outside lane 9.

The middle lanes 5-8 are considered the preferred positions for the quarter-lap event, as the inside and outside lanes have issues with visibility around the bend.

Bednarek, the silver medallist in the event from the Tokyo Olympics and the world’s second-ranked 200m runner behind Lyles, didn’t hold back on social media.

“Never seen favouritism like this on a global scale,” the 25-year-old wrote on X to his 20,000 followers.

The post had received 2,500 likes at the time of writing and over 130 comments, before one comment stated the starting positions had changed and Bednarek had been shifted to lane 8.

It appears the shift was made after Bednarek lodged a complaint, with the sprinter replying to the post showing the new lane positions: “I protested!”