After Winning Big At Grand Slam Track, What Lies Ahead For Kenny Bednarek

Forbes

2 days ago

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 08: Silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek of Team United States celebrates after ... More competing in the Men's 200m Final on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by)
Kenny Bednarek is not done for the season. Building up his confidence, which has undoubtedly become easier with multiple wins at Michael Johnson's Grand Slam track, Bednarek expects to continue winning and living up to his fans' expectations.
'They expect to see me double. That's pretty much what I've done every single year. But this year, I feel like, in particular, it's going to be even more special. I've been winning a lot of races, and that's been building a lot of confidence. So, winning the trials, I'm just expecting big things. I want to go out there and execute my race and have some fun,' the 26-year-old said to me during a Zoom interview.
So far, Bednarek has 'checked out' multiple impressive achievements from his season goal list; one of them was to remain 'undefeated in Grand Slam.' However, Bednarek wants more and aims to continue his streak at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
'I want to double this year. I have a personal goal of running 9.7, and I want to run faster than 19.5 this year. I want to come out of Tokyo with three gold medals, being a part of the relay as well. And yeah, I just want to stay undefeated. I think that's one of my main goals: every race that I go in, I just want to compete, execute, and just win. Just have a winning streak.'
These expectations are not random for Bednarek. The 26-year-old has been building up a steady momentum over the years, both physically and mentally. At the Tokyo Olympics, he placed second in the 200-meter event, falling short of a win to Andre De Grasse, who secured the first individual gold with a national record. For the next two years, Bednarek didn't manage to secure gold at any global athletics event finals.
In Paris, he successfully defended his silver medal. Running a 19.62, he matched Andre De Grasse's time at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Bednarek was faster than before, quietly edging out Noah Lyles, one of the favourites to win the event. However, he still had to settle for second as Letsile Tebogo created history in 19.46.
At the Diamond League, Bednarek finally tasted victory. Winning the final leg in Brussels, he managed to surpass Tebogo to become the champion in 19.67. Following this fairly successful season, 'Kung Fu Kenny's' strategy changed. He dissected his previous races to understand what needed to be changed.
'After the Olympics and going into the Diamond League, there are a few things I was trying to work on technique-wise and mentally.
I feel like I figured out how to run my race the way I want to and mentally just be in the zone every single time I step on the track. Just going into 2025, it was just focusing on those two things, just executing my race, and mentally just staying in the zone. Because I've always known that in every race that I've run, the difference between me getting first place, second place, or third was just execution, and then mentally if I'm fully tapped in.'
Before the start of this season, Bednarek realized the importance of easing up. The tension he had faced while participating in the previous races was no longer there. The Wisconsin-based sprinter achieved the 'flow state' required to run his best.
'Just going into 2025, it's just focusing on those two things and doing all the hard work at practice and trying to just tap into the race. So, that's pretty much what's happened this year. I've consistently been doing what I wanted to do at practice, and then putting on the track and then the race itself has become a lot easier for me. The times have been a lot faster, but I've been doing it the easy way. I feel like the times that I ran in the past, I was usually doing it the hard way because I used to always tense up in my races.' Grand Slam Track Experience
TOPSHOT - USA's Kenneth Bednarek reacts after winning the men's 200m short sprint event at the Grand ... More Slam Track competition at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on April 5, 2025. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
Running a good time also became easier with new and improved environments provided to the sprinter. In addition to the $12.6 million prize pot, the debut season of Michael Johnson's start-up track league also gave Bednarek a stage with a 'lot more freedom' and never-before-seen perks.
'I would say the first thing is just getting first-class tickets to every event that we've gone to. That was something that I was pretty new to. So that is something I really enjoyed. But my friends and family also had the freedom to be where I was, where the practice track was, being closer to the infield, and everything else.
I guess just all the media coverage was one of the biggest things. With the other leagues, you get a select few people who do the media coverage and all that. But I feel like with the Grand Slam, a lot of people had the opportunity to showcase what their plans were, why they were there, and what they're expected to do at the Grand Slam.'
In April, Bednarek won the 100m and 200m races at the Grand Slam Track Kingston, the inaugural edition of the league. Securing a comfortable lead against his opponents, he won the race in 20.07 seconds and was followed by Zharnel Hughes of Britain, who couldn't beat him despite a season best of 20.37 seconds.
Bednarek, who wanted to prove the win was not a'fluke,' claimed podium finishes in Miami. He also set an imposing record in the Grand Slam track races. The 26-year-old clinched the gold medal in the 100-meter dash of the last leg of the event in Philadelphia, beating Andre De Grasse and Christian Coleman. Bednarek finished with 9.86 seconds on the clock, tying the world lead and also achieving a new personal best. This run was preceded by a 19.95-second victory in the 200-meter sprint just a day before.
'Everything about the Grand Slam, I really enjoyed. The competition was there. They showcased our personalities, and a lot of the fans got to see the inside of who we are and saw the background of the athlete, from why they got on the track to what motivates them and everything else.
Jamaica, I've never really been there before. Hearing that the first race was going to be there, I was quite curious about what to expect. And, you know, I just love the Jamaican vibe and the island vibe in itself. And then going into Miramar, I've been there several times. So, just curious about what they're going to change, like how they're going to do the setup and everything, because that track itself is very fast. But the stadium is not as big as Jamaica. That was pretty good as well. And then going to Philly, I think that's the one that I really enjoyed the most, just because I had no clue why we were going to Philly.
I didn't understand that there are a lot of track and field fans up there. I just knew that they had the history of Franklin Field, where they have Penn relays and everything else. And I knew that was going to be a little bit chilly out there. I wasn't sure how many fans were going to be there, just because it's a pretty big stadium. But once I stepped out there, I was like, holy crap, there's like a lot of people there. And I always heard that people were saying the track is weird.
So once I stepped on the track the first day, just to actually see what they meant, like the turn of the 200 is so unorthodox. Everything is just a lot longer on the turn. And then the 100 meters straight, it only feels like it's an 80-meter stretch. So going out there, running pretty quick, it was a good feeling. It built a lot of confidence because I guess running 19.95 was a pretty big deal. So it just helped me build a lot of confidence. And then just going undefeated against a stacked field every single race, it just really helped my confidence. That's really great.'
Overcoming Injuries And Setbacks
Bednarek faced his first injury in 2019. After turning pro and qualifying for the Doha World Championships, he pulled his hamstring. The experience was a scary one for the then 20-year-old Bednarek. But the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics gave Kenny time to heal and make 2020 a recovery year. The following year, Bednarek had his breakout year, claiming an Olympic silver medal. But just after becoming an Olympian in December, he broke his big toe, making Bednarek think his 'career was done.' He was forced to take a two-month hiatus without rehab or running. Yet, he managed to make the U.S. team for the 2022 World Championships and claimed a silver medal in the 200-meter event with a time of 19.77.
Following this, Bednarek now knows how to manage injuries. 'I'm just like, okay, I've been here before; here's what we need to do. Recovery is, you know, three to five days, and then onto the next race.'
Every year, Bednarek tries to understand his body's needs more and improve accordingly. He has also invested in various technologies to cut back on his injuries.
'I got a red light therapy machine, a PEMF machine, and a sauna. We just bought a cold plunge recently. I'm trying to get an oxygen chamber as well. Those things have really helped me feel better every single day I step on the track, and even when I do have a minor injury or a significant injury, it helps me recover quicker than I usually would if I didn't have those things, like I said before, every single year.
I'm just trying to understand the body, why certain things happen, what's on, and what's turned off. When you are always running, every single day, tryna break limits, you're always gonna be redlining. The faster you run, the higher the risk of your injuries. So, I have a good team around me, the people who steered me the right way, I have a nice osteopath that I work with, a massage therapist, a chiropractor, and a nutritionist as well. I mean, there's a lot of work that I do just to kinda not get injured, and if I do, you know how quick I can bounce back from it. Honestly, just doing all these things really helped my confidence because when I do have something.'