EUGENE, Ore. — Kenny Bednarek finally appeared ready to eclipse his biggest rival. The perennially underdog American sprinter pulled away from Noah Lyes last Saturday as they rounded the bend in the men’s 200-meter final at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Bednarek could have been distraught when he failed to maintain his form late in the race and Lyles passed him. He could have been furious that the race resembled the 100-meter final the previous weekend, when he also finished second to Lyles.
Instead, Bednarek chose to focus on the big picture. He had lowered his personal best times in the 100 and 200 meters and qualified for the Olympics in both races. He would get another chance to test himself against Lyles later this summer in Paris, when it would really count.
“I’m healthy and dangerous,” Bednarek said with a smile. “That’s all I can ask for.”
With those words, Bednarek could just as well have summed up the state of American track and field as athletes dispersed after the Olympic trials. Over the course of nine exciting, record-breaking days in Eugene, top stars solidified themselves as medal favorites and a new generation of fresh talent emerged.
The athletes expected to lead the U.S. track and field team this summer have mostly survived the ruthless U.S. Olympic selection process. Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone each won their signature events, as did Grant Holloway, Rai Benjamin, Ryan Crouser and Valarie Allman.
The most high-profile victim of the trials is Athing Mu, the reigning Olympic gold medallist in the women’s 800 metres and a strong contender for a second title in Paris. Her hopes were dashed last Monday when a spectacular crash midway through the first lap of the two-lap race left her too far behind to catch up with the rest of the field.
Other countries have safety nets in place in their Olympic selection process to deal with situations like this. They will consider results from previous Olympics or World Championships when selecting their team. In the United States, big names can’t rely on past achievements. At the trials, it’s top three or nothing, whether you’re a former champion or a young unknown.
“I see it both ways,” Mu coach Bob Kersee told Yahoo Sports last week. “If discretionary picks were used after the competition, it would give us a chance to send a stronger team. But it would also leave out someone who earned the right to be on the team through competition.”
As usual, sprints and hurdles will be the highlights of American track and field at the Olympics. Ten individual sprints and hurdles will be contested next month on the purple track at the Stade de France. An American athlete holds the world’s best time this season in seven of those races.
In this Olympic cycle, the United States is particularly strong in the 200 meters. The nine fastest women over that distance this season are all Americans. Lyles and Bednarek have posted the fastest times in the men’s 200 meters so far this season, while promising 20-year-old Erriyon Knighton managed to make the team in Eugene despite not racing in months.
American sprinters and hurdlers have openly talked about the possibility of a U.S. triple in Paris, but Jamaica’s stable of accomplished veterans and promising newcomers should provide formidable competition. Sprinters from both countries have spent the past week engaged in a spirited game of “Anything you can do, I can do better.”
When Richardson covered 100 meters at the U.S. Trials in 10.71 seconds, Shericka Jackson responded with her two fastest races of the season to win the Jamaican 100 and 200-meter national titles. When Lyles matched his personal best of 9.83 seconds to win the men’s 100 meters at the U.S. Trials, Kishane Thompson, a 22-year-old unknown, responded by winning the Jamaican 100-meter national title in 9.77 seconds, a world record.
A big thank you to those boys racing over there in Jamaica! You guys are really helping to make this Olympic Championship a great event.
— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) June 29, 2024
Medal chances may be less abundant for the United States in other events, but American distance runners have no intention of leaving Paris empty-handed.
In the men’s 1,500, it will be interesting to see whether Americans Cole Hocker or Yared Neguse can keep pace with pre-race favorites Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway or Josh Kerr of Great Britain. In the women’s 800, rising star Nia Akins has the best chance of helping the U.S. salvage a medal despite Mu’s absence.
While field events tend to get less coverage in the United States, NBC is expected to devote plenty of airtime to the men’s shot put. Crouser, the world record holder in the shot put, has won every Olympic or world gold medal since 2016, with the exception of one. The only year Crouser settled for silver, he was beaten by fellow American Joe Kovacs.
American medal contenders in other track events include Allman in the women’s discus, Tara Davis-Woodhall in the women’s long jump and Chris Nilsen and Sam Kendricks in the men’s pole vault. They each have medals from previous Olympics or world championships.
Three years ago in Tokyo, the United States won 26 Olympic medals in track and field, but went home with the sickening feeling that it could have won more. For the first time, an American failed to win gold in an individual running event at an Olympics not boycotted by the United States. The United States also failed to win the 4×100-meter relay, a result that Carl Lewis called “disgraceful.”
Since then, the Americans have made great strides and have dominated the medal count at the last two world championships. Lyles, in particular, has racked up the gold medals. Bednarek has pushed him but now hopes this will be his breakout year.
When asked what “dangerous” meant to him, Bednarek replied: “It means they should all fear me.”
If he can deliver, Bednarek will only make Team USA even harder to beat.