Kenny Bednarek, known as “Kung Fu Kenny” for his signature bandana and fearless sprinting style, edged out Jamaica’s Oblique Seville by a mere 0.01 seconds at the Grand Slam Track opener.
But while fans in the National Stadium buzzed from the electric finish, a single tweet from NBC Sports director Travis Miller shifted the narrative, and reignited old wounds.
It all started with a harmless question. Bednarek, clearly in high spirits, took to X (formerly Twitter) after his win and asked, “What’s one underrated skill every sprinter should master?”
Expected answers like block starts or drive phases began to roll in—until Miller dropped his not-so-subtle bombshell.
What seemed like a cheeky quip at first quickly sent track and field Twitter into a frenzy. Because this wasn’t just any comment, it was a pointed reminder of Team USA’s ongoing Olympic relay struggles, especially in the men’s 4×100m.
Bednarek, who’s twice stood on the Olympic podium with individual silver medals, the jab hit close to home. Despite his Kingston triumph, Miller’s tweet dragged everyone back to the gut-wrenching moment from the last Olympic cycle when the U.S. men’s relay team failed to qualify for the final.
That disqualification, born from a botched baton exchange between Bednarek and Christian Coleman, still stings. The team finished seventh in the heat, but it didn’t matter. An exchange outside the legal zone ended their run before it truly began. Canada, led by Andre De Grasse, capitalized and surged to gold. South Africa and Great Britain followed. The U.S left watching from the sidelines, again.
“It just didn’t happen,” Coleman said at the time.
“We practiced a lot… I and Kenny are competitors but also teammates a few times a year. We felt really confident going out there. In the moment, it just didn’t happen.”
Kenny Bednarek clocked 10.07 to Seville’s 10.08, powering through a rough start to seal the win and quiet the home crowd. Fred Kerley, another American sprint star, faded to seventh. But the night and the spotlight belonged to Kenny.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot more to improve,” Bednarek admitted post-race.
“My block starts have been looking good this year, but I didn’t really get to show it in this race… I just had to make sure to reel them in. That’s what I did.”
Rodney Green, one of the meet commentators, summed it up perfectly.
“Kenny Bednarek, ‘Kung Fu Kenny,’ came through with the hat trick: the 100 and the 200, letting people know, ‘Boy, hey, I ain’t scared, man!’”
But amid the celebrations and sound bites, Miller’s tweet cast a long shadow. It was a reminder that in sprinting, greatness isn’t measured by speed alone. The true test comes under Olympic lights, with a baton in hand and a team depending on precision. Until Team USA breaks its relay curse, even solo victories like Bednarek’s in Kingston will come with a side of scrutiny.
