Kenny Bednarek Dominates Doha Diamond League, Running A World Lead In The 200m

ByKatelyn Hutchison, May 11, 2024 at 10:58pm EDT

If track and field fans are still deciding who they predict will make Team USA for the Olympics in the men's 200-meter dash, Kenny Bednarek should be a strong consideration. The Olympic silver medalist went to the Doha Diamond League and demonstrated why he has a strong chance of making it to Paris this summer.

Bednarek won the event in 19.67 seconds, which is the current world-leading time, meet record, and new personal best for the Olympian. His previous personal best of 19.68 seconds earned him an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo.

During an interview after his win, he mentioned that running a fast time at this point in the season is not his primary concern.

"Running this fast this early is really good, it means I will be fast by the time we start the Olympics. Time doesn't matter, my main focus is not the time but competing and making sure we get the job done," said Bednarek.

Track and field athletes do their best to focus less on time and more on competing well. The philosophy is that with their training, the fast times and great marks will come when needed. Athletes train to purposely peak at championship meets because that is when quick times and competition will matter most. When they put up good marks this early, it is usually a good indicator they will do well later in the season if they can maintain their competitive momentum.