"My biggest supporter"- Kenny Bednarek shares heartfelt message for girlfriend Sharmila Nicollet ahead of Paris Olympics

As the Paris Olympic preparations came to an end, American runner Kenny Bednarek shared a special moment with his Indian girlfriend, Sharmila Nicollet, referring to her as his biggest support.

Bednarek has had a decent season thus far, winning the 200m event in a world lead time of 19.67 seconds with a legal tailwind of 1.7m/s at the Doha Diamond League in May. He also qualified for the Paris Olympics in both 100m and 200m events at the US Olympic Trials held at the Hayward Field Stadium earlier in June.

He secured a second-place finish in both events, behind Noah Lyles, to secure tickets to his second Olympic Games. Bednarek clocked 19.59 seconds in the 200m finals and achieved a personal best of 9.87 seconds in the 100m finals.

As his Olympic preparations reached their pinnacle, Bednarek shared his "biggest supporter," his girlfriend Sharmila Nicollet, who has been with him since 2020. Nicollet is a Bengaluru, India-based pro golfer who has represented her nation at numerous prestigious tournaments like the Asian Games, the Queen Sirikit Cup, and several others.

Bednarek took to his X handle (formerly Twitter) and shared a picture with Nicollet from the 2024 Olympic trials and wrote:

"My biggest supporter"

Kenny Bednarek speaks about lack of recognition despite his impressive performance at the Olympic trials

2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 7

Kenny Bednarek earned praises from legends like Justin Gatlin for his world-leading finish at the Doha Diamond League. Noah Lyles also acknowledged his DL feat. However, Bednarek was upset about not being recognized, even after performing exceptionally well at the US Olympic trials.

Taking to his X handle, the Rice Lake native expressed his disappointment and wrote:

"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 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."

Kenny Bednarek competed in his maiden Summer Games at the age of 22 in 2021 at the Tokyo event and bagged a silver in the 200m event. But this time around, he looks poised to win some more Olympic accolades at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.