American sprinter Kenny Bednarek has voiced strong accusations of favoritism against Olympic officials following his lane assignment for the men’s 200-meter final.
Bednarek, who clocked a time of 20 seconds to win his semifinal heat, had the second-fastest qualifying time overall. However, he was initially assigned lane 4, a placement he deemed disadvantageous.
“Never seen favoritism like this on a global scale,” Bednarek expressed on X, reflecting his frustration with the lane assignment.
Following his protest, Bednarek has been reassigned to lane 8, which could enhance his chances of a podium finish. In the 2020 Tokyo Games, Bednarek secured a silver medal in the 200 meters from lane 7, narrowly edging out his teammate and Olympic rival Noah Lyles, who was in lane 3.
This time around, Lyles, the reigning 100-meter champion, will compete in lane 4 for the 200-meter race, his favored distance where he had remained unbeaten for three years. However, his winning streak was broken in the semifinals at Stade de France by Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who finished in 19.96 seconds—0.12 seconds faster than Lyles.
Lyles, Bednarek, and the 20-year-old rising star Erryion Knighton will vie for gold in Thursday night’s final. The achievement of winning both the 100 and 200 meters at a single Olympics is rare. Usain Bolt famously accomplished this feat at three consecutive Olympics: Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Prior to Bolt, only Carl Lewis had achieved this double at the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
In his last Olympics eight years ago, Bolt was casually easing through his 200-meter semifinal when he noticed Andre De Grasse closing in. Bolt promptly increased his pace and playfully wagged his finger at the Canadian. In the final, Bolt won with ease.
