'Underrated'- American sprint legend in awe Kenny Bednarek's dominant 200m display in Doha

'Underrated'- American sprint legend in awe Kenny Bednarek's dominant 200m display in Doha

Abigael Wafula 12:00 - 12.05.2024

American legend Michael Johnson has reacted following Kenny Bednarek's stunning 200m world lead at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, Qatar.

American sprint legend Michael Johnson is in awe of Kenny Bednarek’s form this season, noting that he is one of the most underrated sprinters.

His message came after Bednarek clocked a world-leading time in the 200m to win the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, Qatar. The American clocked an impressive 19.67 to cross the finish line first ahead of Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King who finished second and third in respective times of 20.01 and 20.21.

Bednarek won by a huge margin and he was off to a great start in the blocks as he continued the momentum up until he cut the tape.

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He is yet to lose a 200m race after opening his campaign at the Miramar Invitational. In the 100m race, he has also impressed, winning the Kip Keino Classic and the Tom Jones Memorial.

Speaking of him, Johnson said: “Underrated! Not the fastest, but consistently shows up winning 200m medals. ’21 Olympics and ‘22 World Champs. Unfortunately, consistency is often undervalued in this sport if you’re not winning. We need to change that!”

Meanwhile, as he reacted to his performance in Doha, Bednarek insisted that he was aware he was capable of running a world-leading time.

“I knew what I was gonna run, I won the world lead, I was just hoping that the weather would work with us and that is what it did so when I crossed the finish line I saw the time I didn’t know if it was the lead, they wanted to hand me the lead sign, I knew I did it.

“I knew I was in good shape because my teammates would push me in practice. We are happy for each other, I am happy for them, and they are happy for me, that is all that matters. It is just love. The best I can do this year is a gold medal in the Olympics, I did it in Tokyo, and I know I have the talent and good training.

“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.

“The next race may be in Los Angeles, I am not sure, I have been running a lot of back-to-back races. 'Fear No One' is the message on today´s headband I'm wearing. I have a special headband with me for every single-track event, I give it to the other competitors, we try to have a great time,” he said.

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