After path of U.S. sprinter Kenny Bednarek led to Olympic silver, he searches for gold

Pat Graham · The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 5:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The way of sprinter Kenny Bednarek has been acold from casual oregon conventional. Plenty of uphill climbs, too.

His experiences, though — foster care, being adopted, going the assemblage assemblage route, perpetually overshadowed — has lone added powerfulness to his change ego, "Kung Fu Kenny." That mentation of him emerges erstwhile helium steps connected the way and slips connected his signature headband.

That mentation of him looks astatine his 2 Olympic metallic medals successful 2 ways — reminders, yes, of the occurrence he's had, but a motivator for the occurrence inactive yet to achieve.

This season, he's sharpened his burst retired of the starting blocks and took his nutrition to different level to crook metallic finishes into gold. That starts perchance successful September astatine the World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo and down the roadworthy astatine the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I cognize I person the capableness of being a champion," said Bednarek, who races this play successful Kingston, Jamaica, astatine the inaugural lawsuit of Grand Slam Track, a caller nonrecreational league. "I've ever conscionable been hungry."

Born successful Tulsa, Okla., helium and his fraternal duplicate brother, Ian, were adopted retired of foster attraction astatine 4 years aged by Mary Ann Bednarek, who'd already taken successful 2 girls. The household moved to Rice Lake successful northwest Wisconsin erstwhile helium was 12

"I had a batch of issues erstwhile I was a kid," the 26-year-old Kenny Bednarek explained. "My ma took truthful overmuch clip to assistance maine go the idiosyncratic I americium today. I mean, without her love, attraction and support, I don't cognize wherever I would be.

"I mightiness not beryllium 'Kung Fu Kenny.' I mightiness beryllium determination stranded. She's the large crushed wherefore I'm present today."

Track, too. Because connected the track, Bednarek could fto his caput wander, to the places his feet mightiness 1 time instrumentality him.

"Track was conscionable the gateway that fto maine consciousness free," explained Bednarek, who besides played football. "It was conscionable maine against the clock."

From Indian Hills to Olympics

Bednarek didn't spell to a big-time way powerhouse retired of precocious school. Instead, helium spent a play astatine Indian Hills Community College successful Iowa.

That 1 season, though, showed Bednarek's immense potential. He won 200 and 400 nationalist titles astatine the 2019 NJCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Still, he's been mostly overlooked successful a crowded tract of high-profile sprinters that includes Americans standouts Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley and Erriyon Knighton, on with Andre De Grasse of Canada and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo.

Playing second-fiddle utilized to fuss Bednarek and particularly his change ego, "Kung Fu Kenny."

"I had a truly large spot connected my shoulder," helium said. "It was annoying."

Winning medals solved that. Maybe not ever the favourite successful a race, Bednarek ever recovered a mode to beryllium successful the mix.

Like astatine the Tokyo Games successful 2021, erstwhile helium finished runner-up to De Grasse successful the 200. Or a twelvemonth aboriginal astatine satellite championships erstwhile helium took metallic down Lyles. At the Paris Games past summer, helium won different metallic successful the 200 down Tebogo.

Last summer's medal remains peculiar due to the fact that his ma was watching successful the stands. She was truthful blessed for him, crying tears of joy, arsenic they embraced aft the race.

"Just to beryllium capable to radiance agleam and person my ma witnesser that, it meant a lot," helium said.

1 per cent better

These days, he's moving retired successful Winter Garden, Fla., nether manager Dennis Mitchell. His grooming radical includes Sha'Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman.

"We conscionable person this iron-sharpens-iron mentality," said Bednarek, who's sponsored by Nike. "We're each making each different better."

His apical task this outpouring is sharpening his starts retired of blocks.

"If I tin get that down, I consciousness similar cipher is going to beryllium capable to bushed me," said Bednarek, whose apical clip successful the 200 is 19.57 seconds. "I'm ever trying to adhd thing that makes maine 1% better."

For his dedication to nutrition -- he's eliminated gluten -- and wide health, helium credits Sharmila Nicollet, a nonrecreational golfer from India who he's been dating since 2020.

"I utilized to think, 'Oh, I tin slumber whenever I want, play video games whenever I want, and I'll beryllium fine,"' Bednarek recounted. "She opened my eyes. It was like, `OK, this is however you go an Olympian and a medallist. This is what you've got to do.'"

Grand Slam Track debut

Bednarek is among the runners of each distances – and hurdlers -- taking portion this play successful Grand Slam Track, which was founded by Hall of Famer Michael Johnson.

The caller league includes stops successful Kingston, Miami (May 2-4), Philadelphia (May 30-June 1) and Los Angeles (June 27-29). In Kingston, Bednarek volition look Kerley & Co. successful the 100 connected Friday and again successful the 200 connected Saturday.

"It's an unthinkable accidental conscionable to beryllium capable to correspond this league," Bednarek said. "It's each astir speed, personalities and telling large stories."

Like his.

One question helium perpetually receives: What's the communicative down his alter-ego "Kung Fu Kenny?" Bednarek said it truly stems from his emotion of anime. His favourite quality is Naruto, a young ninja who's seeking recognition.

"He's a precise persistent quality and doesn't springiness up nary substance what," Bednarek explained. "I benignant of resonate with that. Whatever you privation to achieve, it volition not travel to you — you person to enactment for it. You person to spell get it."