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Kenny Bednarek has opened up about the moment he knew Letsile Tebogo was going to win the 200m at the Paris Olympic Games.
Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek has disclosed when he knew he lost the 200m Olympic title to Letsile Tebogo.
After finishing seventh in the men’s 100m final, Bednarek was charged up to go for the 200m Olympic title but Letsile Tebogo had better legs on the day of the final. Bednarek started his 200m campaign with wins in the preliminary round and the semifinal but was forced to settle for second in the final.
He had a great start off the blocks but the final 100m proved challenging for him as Tebogo charged past the American. Bednarek explained that Tebogo was running for his late mother and he indeed put up a good fight to make her proud.
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Going into the stacked field in the final, Bednarek insisted that he was not pressured in any way and that his main goal was to have fun. He noted that the 100m was more challenging and he did not want to think about competing in his favourite event.
“I was excited, that was my main event and you know, the 100m, I’m still working on but the 200m is my baby. I knew I was capable of getting the gold medal…I just wanted to have fun, no stress for me. The 100m was more stressful so in the 200m, I was just there having fun,” Bednarek said in a video on his YouTube Channel.
“When at the blocks, I was just thinking about executing and there was nothing, it was just complete silence and we were just waiting for the conductor to say set and go. As soon as the gun went off, it was just the same routine and I put my best foot forward. Coming off the bend, I was in a good position and Tebogo ran a better race that day. He was running for his mum and had a crazy last 100m, so for him, I mean, congrats,” he added.
The former world 200m silver medallist explained that during the preliminaries and semifinal, he wanted to clock slower times and conserve energy for the final but his competitors forced him to put in more effort.
Having competed with Alexander Ogando in a series of races, Bednarek disclosed that his running style was different in the sense that he would run faster times before the final.
“I want revenge…Going to the 200m, my mindset was you know, ‘Hey, let’s get this win, take it round by round and get out of the turn, eat up the turn and maintain the lead and see exactly where everyone else is at by 50m and let off the gas if I can.’,” the Diamond League final winner said.
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15:14 - 21.09.2024
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The Olympic silver medallist in the 200m has reflected on his best season acknowledging his mistakes and setting goals for future success.
“I ended up running 19.97, which was not the goal, I actually wanted to run 20 point whatever because after running all the rounds, we were all about conserving as much energy as we could until the finals. The only reason why I went so fast was because the comp decided to go fast. Ogando, I had been in every round with him and it seems for the past four years and he’s always someone who wants to ramp it up a bit too early. As soon as I got off the turn, I was looking and I was like, ‘Alright, slow down, slow down’ and then he did.”
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