“I definitely think that that could be attainable,” said Kenny Bednarek about his goals of winning three golds in Tokyo. After the post-race shove by Kenny Bednarek on Noah Lyles following the latter’s win in the men’s 200m at the US Championship last month, the stage was set for a showdown in the Japanese capital. While the first bout of that rivalry didn’t go Bednarek’s way, he hopes to make amends soon.

On September 15, “Kung Fu” Kenny went to X to come clean about his disappointing finish in the men’s 100m final at the Tokyo World Championships and make a bold prediction for the upcoming 200m competition. “Delayed, not denied,” proclaimed Bednarek in his social media post, before acknowledging, “Just when you think you’ve finally got it, it slips away from you.” Bednarek crossed the finishing line in fourth place, cocking 9.92, just 0.03 behind Noah Lyles. The poor finish was especially tough to accept since Kenny claims that he managed to finally figure out his start, and he also “set a new personal best and moved from #39 to #13 on the All-Time 100m list.”

Naturally, the loss, especially after their little squabble last month in Eugene, was a hard pill to swallow for the 26-year-old. But he hopes to redeem himself in the upcoming 200-meter event. “I’m ready to get back on track in the 200m. I’ve got a couple days to reset, then it’s time go back out and execute,” he assured fans in his X post.

The heats for the 200m are on, and the final is slated for 19th September, and Bednarek seems to be feeling the hunger of proving himself yet again. “We still have plenty of races left, so stick around, have fun, and keep cheering my name. It’s only going to get more exciting from here,” he said in his post, underscoring that despite the unremarkable finish to his 100m campaign, he still has plenty left in the tank to keep the fans on their toes.

And yet, while he sets his gaze on the road ahead, Kenny just couldn’t forget how agonizingly close he came to beating Lyles at the 2025 World Championships once already. “To say I was feeling confident going into the finals yesterday would be an understatement. But confidence only gets you so far…I’ll use this experience to keep getting better, with more consistent starts and faster times. I know I’m capable of wearing that 100m crown. It just wasn’t ready for me yet,” he brooded in the X post.

But hey, it’s not like his upcoming challenge is going to be any easier, either. The last time Bednarek and Lyles met on the international stage for the 200m was at the Paris Olympics last year. In that race, Kenny got the upper hand by edging out Noah and claiming the silver, while the other had to settle for bronze. While it was later revealed that Lyles ran with COVID, which undoubtedly affected his performance, Bednarek wasn’t one to see the win as a consolation prize. Instead, he owned his Olympic silverware with gusto.

But it could be a very different race in Tokyo this time around.

Kenny Bednarek will have to take on a national teammate in Tokyo

In case you didn’t know, the 200m is considered Noah Lyles’ strong suit. While he did fail to win gold in the event in Paris despite claiming gold over the shorter distance, Lyles has always made it clear that he doesn’t consider many to be his worthy opposition when it comes to the 200. At the USATF Championships in August, he proved it once again by winning the rac,e in 19.63. He has also won the 200m title at several other tournaments this year. Furthermore, after his third-place finish at the 100m in Tokyo, Lyles is putting all his eggs in the 200m basket.

“I know that my 100s and 200s actually don’t translate one-to-one as I would like; usually, when I have my best 200s, my 100s aren’t as fast. So, I don’t know, there’s a lot of excitement going on in the 200. Obviously, I have the energy obviously I have the motivation. I don’t plan to lose; I plan to go out there full force, jump off the cliff, so to say, with all enthusiasm into this race,” Lyles said about how he’s gearing up for the upcoming thriller.

Then again, Bednarek isn’t too shabby over the longer distance, either. His season’s best in the 200m is 19.67, and that difference with Noah’s could well be put to the test in Tokyo. However, as ardent track and field fans would remember, the little incident at Eugene last month left a sour taste in both athletes’ mouths. Although Bednarek is eager to claim that both he and Lyles have put the whole thing behind themselves, fans can’t wait to see if things actually turn more eventful as the athletes line up for the 200m next at the World Championships!