"I can’t be fazed"- Kenny Bednarek opens up on not receiving enough credit despite stellar performance at U.S. Olympic Trials

Kenny Bednarek has opened up on struggles of not being recognized enough despite his impeccable performance at the US Olympic trials. Bednarek has been in great form this season but believes he does not get enough credit for that.

At the ongoing US Olympic trials, he has displayed majestic performances, qualifying for the men’s 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He began his campaign with a win in the preliminaries, clocking 10.00 before winning his semifinal in 9.82.

In the final, Kenny Bednarek dug deep for a second-place finish, crossing the finish line in 9.87. Triple world champion Noah Lyles won the race, equaling his personal best time of 9.83 as Fred Kerley completed the podium in 9.88.

In a post on his X, Kenny Bednarek lamented his struggles but explained that such challenges fuel him to be a greater athlete.

The Olympic Games 200m silver medallist added that all his life, he has been forced to go against the grain and insisted that he is a force to be reckoned with.

"I can’t be fazed. Under any condition, any challenge, any setback - I perform. I haven’t received interviews, airtime, or hype like other athletes. Yet, I create my own narrative and continue to shine anyway," he said.

He added:

"Resistance only fuels my drive. After all, I’ve gone against the grain my whole life. Zen 🧘🏾‍♂️ Ken is in full force. I was built for pressure. I was built for moments like tonight. Wisconsin: this one’s for you. #KUNGFUKENNY."

Kenny Bednarek has been in the form of his life, being injury-free this season. In the 100m, he launched his Olympic campaign at the Tom Jones Memorial with a commanding win. He then proceeded to the Kip Keino Classic where he won the race too, silencing defending champion Ferdinand Omanyala.

In the 200m, Bednarek has oozed class, having the world lead to his name before Lyles snatched it from him at the US Olympic Trials 200m semifinal. Lyles clocked 19.60 to invalidate Bednarek’s world lead of 19.67.

Bednarek began his 200m season at the Miramar Invitational, winning in a time of 20.35 before continuing his winning streak to the Diamond League Meeting in Doha and the Prefontaine Classic. At the US Olympic trials, he won the preliminaries and semifinal, clocking 20.28 and 19.96 respectively.

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Kenny Bednarek reveals how Sha'Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, and Twanisha Terry motivated him to seal an Olympic ticket

2024 Diamond League Doha

Kenny Bednarek opened up about how the trio of his training mates Sha’Carri Richardson, Melissa Jefferson, and Twanisha Terry motivated him to fight for a ticket to the Olympic Games in the men’s 100m.

The former world 200m silver medallist trains alongside the trio at the Star Athletics Club under the tutelage of Dennis Mitchell.

"Hell yeah…I mean I was so happy to see that and we all knew at practice that they had it in them and they just got the job done so just seeing that I was happy for coach and them and yeah that definitely pumped me up for the next day," Bednarek said in a post-race interview.

Now that he is injury-free and in good shape, Bednarek will be out to shed the ‘Mr. Silver' tag at the Olympic Games.

At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, he won a silver medal in the men's 200m. In Paris, he will be looking to increase his medal tally, after successfully qualifying for the 100m meaning he has an automatic qualification in the 4x100m relay.