"She helped me find the right people" - Kenny Bednarek reveals how girlfriend Sharmila Nicollet helped him grow his track career

American athlete Kenny Bednarek recently shared how his long-time girlfriend Sharmila Nicollet helped him grow his track and field career. The 25-year-old reflected on his 2020 Tokyo Olympics campaign when he won his first-ever silver medal. He credited his girlfriend for his win and said she aided him in multiple aspects to improve his performance on the track.

Former Indian Hill athlete Kenny Bednarek created a name for himself after he bagged silver medals in the 200m race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Championships. The following year, he bagged another silver medal at the USATF Championship in Eugene. At the latest Paris Olympics in August, the athlete won his second consecutive silver medal in 200m by clocking 19.62s.

Making an appearance in a recent episode of the "The Running Effect" podcast, the athlete shared what changed for him during that Olympic year. Bednarek said that he modified his diet a couple of months before the Olympic trials. Moreover, he added that his girlfriend Sharmila Nicollet helped him with his diet and recovery. Kenny said:

"She helped me find the right people when it comes to recovery, diet, and everything else." [27:30]

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kenny Bednarek won the silver medal with a time of 19.68s, behind Andre De Grasse of Canada, who clocked 19.62s to clinch the gold medal.

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Kenny Bednarek on shifting from his track and field career to NFL

Kenny Bednarek at Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 14 - Source: Getty

Kenny Bednarek moved to Rice Wisconsin from Oklahoma after being adopted. He also played as an NFL player at Rice Lake High School. The 200m athlete boasted 17 touchdowns as a wide receiver. However, by 2019, Bednarek signed his professional athletic contract with Nike as a track and field runner.

Recently, in a podcast interview, the 25-year-old talked about his NFL fondness and whether he would ever switch to the sport.

Bednarek said (via "The Running Effect" podcast),

"I feel like with my work ethic, I definitely did. Because, I mean, honestly, that was something that I wanted to pursue. I mean, I love track, but when I was younger I was also like, oh, I dream about being in the NFL one day...Sometimes I joke with my coach and my girlfriend like 'hey maybe when I'm 30, I will go to the NFL'," he said [at 22:01].

He further added on the things that he would have to improve in himself to pursue a career in the NFL.

"I feel like if I stuck with football, I wouldn't have had an opportunity of trying to be in the NFL. I mean, first of all, I got speed. The only thing that I really needed to work on was everything else, you know, agility, hands, and then just running the route tree," Kenny added.