WATCH: Kenny Bednarek clocks world lead to win the 200m race at Doha Diamond League 2024, becomes ninth-fastest American of all time

Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek has clocked a new personal best and a world lead at the 200m event at Doha Diamond League 2024. The 25-year-old clocked 19.67s to break the meet record as well as reign supreme over other American runners in the event.

Bednarek is one of the most dominant sprinters in America, albeit slightly behind reigning world champion Noah Lyles. In 2021, he ran the most sub-20 times in the men's 200m.

By the end of 2021, the 25-year-old was ranked the No.1 men's 200m sprinter by the World Athletics. Aiming for an Olympic gold medal this year in Paris, Kenny Bednarek nearly beat Noah Lyles at the Tom Jones Memorial (100m). He and the world champion clocked 10.01s, with Lyles being a tad faster to win.

However, while Noah Lyles didn't compete at the Doha Diamond League, Kenny Bednarek ran a world-leading time of 19.67s to win the men's 200m event ahead of fellow Americans Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King. While Bednarek became the ninth-fastest in America's history, Lindsey and King clocked 20.01 and 20.21 to finish second and third respectively.

Later, Bednarek proclaimed in a post on X(formerly Twitter), that he already knew he would run a world-leading time in the 200m. The 25-year-old had sent a text to someone, claiming that he was ‘ready to get’ the world lead.

Kenny Bednarek has better expectations from Paris Olympics 2024

2024 Diamond League Doha

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kenny Bednarek fell slightly short of the gold medal in the 200m. After impressive times over the heats, he clocked 19.68s to win the silver medal. Bednarek fell 0.06s short of the gold medal as Canada's Andre De Grasse clocked 19.62s.

But this Olympics, Bednarek is determined to turn that silver into gold. Speaking with TMJ4 in an interview, the 25-year-old claimed that missing out at Tokyo added motivation to go for the gold in Paris.

"It adds motivation because I was that close to getting the gold that one time. So every time I see it? You know it's always like dang, I almost had it. So now what do I gotta do different to get it this year you know. So yeah, it's just like I said. It's out there for display and it's a constant reminder of what I could have had back then", he expressed.

Kenny Bednarek had a previous personal best of 19.68s in the 200m event, which he had clocked at the Tokyo Olympics. With another Olympics beckoning, the world silver medalist is in hot form, and could give tough competition to fellow American Noah Lyles at Olympic trials.