Kenny Bednarek is one of the best 200 meter runners in the world. He is typically very consistent, but seemingly overlooked. He seems to always end up on the podium as a ‘surprise’. But, if his last few seasons are really analyzed, it is no surprise at all. Kenny Bednarek has consistently performed late in the season over past championships, and this year’s season seems to be following a similar pattern.
A Consistent Medalist
Kenny Bednarek has had some monster performances over the past two major championships that put him up there with the world’s best.
In 2021, Bednarek had a stunning performance in the Olympic 200m final. His performance in this final highlights what it takes to perform on the biggest stage, with the most pressure.
In his first major championship final, Bednarek grabbed a silver medal. He showed absolutely no fear as he held off the now American 200m record holder, Noah Lyles. On route to this phenomenal performance, he broke his personal best over 200m, running 19.68. His management of the pressure in this moment was unbelievable, especially at the age of 22.
Bednarek backed up his Olympic performance with another silver medal at the 2022 World Championships. This medal was another great performance for his legacy as he took down the young star, Erriyon Knighton, for another podium performance. He only lost to Noah Lyles, who broke the American Record in the race.
The double silver over the past two years was extraordinarily impressive, especially in this elite era of the 200m.
Is Bednarek an ‘underdog’?
There seems to almost always be an underdog nature surrounding Bednarek. But, it feels very unfounded.
Bednarek has not quite had the 19.4 or 19.5 second performance that some of the other contenders have. But, he makes up for it with his race discipline and composure in the big moments. He executes in such a way that makes his championship season elite.
Coming into the Tokyo Olympics, much of the talk was about Noah Lyles, the defending 200m world champion. Bednarek was able to edge him out for the silver medal in the final.
A similar talk was had heading into the 2022 World Championships, as much of the conversation was centered around whether Erriyon Knighton could upset Noah Lyles or grab the silver medal. Bednarek did not allow this to intimidate him, as he navigated another tough final to get the silver medal and aide in a US sweep over the 200m distance.
Heading into the 2023 championship season, a similar situation seems to be setting up. Much of the talk is over Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, and Letslie Tebogo (who just ran a huge personal best of 19.50). Bednarek seems to be under the radar yet again, and he could be setting up for another ‘upset’ come championship time, which is really no upset at all for somebody with his resume.
A Standard Procedure
These strong performances do not just occur because of a single day’s attention to detail, but instead because of months and years of meticulous planning.
Bednarek has seemingly mastered this preparation over the years. Some of it may be due to his experience running JUCO at Indian Hills Community College. Running at this level forces an athlete to navigate many more challenges as there are not as many resources available for athletes.
This did not stop Bednarek as he ran personal bests of 19.82 over 200m and 44.73 over 400m, both at the NJCAA championships. This championship peaking is a skill that Bednarek built on in JUCO, but has nearly perfected in his professional career.
Bednarek is not afraid to race a lot in his championship build ups. Clearly, it has worked. He is ultra consistent throughout all of these regular season performances, and it builds into his championship peaking.
He navigates rounds very well due to his consistent racing. What is most impressive, however, is how he runs his best in the championship final. In 2021, his personal best of 19.68 came in the Olympic final. Then, in 2022 his season’s best of 19.77 came in the World Championships final in Eugene.
These performances spring the question: what could be on deck for the 2023 World Championships final?
What’s Next?
Kenny Bednarek currently has a season’s best of 19.82 over 200m, which he set at the US Championships. He likely will be eying a personal best later on this season.
If Bednarek can continue to progress back into his 19.6 form, he will surely be a medal contender yet again. At the US Championships, he was right on the heels of Erriyon Knighton. With Knighton being a clear contender in the field, Bednarek is in a good spot.
Looking at his progression over the past few seasons, he is right in line as he continues to build for the World Championships. It will be a sight to see how well he can stack up with the other 200m stars.
Moving forward, what could Bednarek be eyeing in the next few major championships, with the Olympics just around the corner. At only 24 years old, Bednarek could be just entering his prime.
Stay tuned for further professional Track & Field content, including meet previews, race analysis, and season projections.
Featured image courtesy of Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt
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