Gout Gout sent message ahead of showdown as rival called out for post-race act

Yahoo

3 days ago

Noah Lyles has been accused of poor sportsmanship after he was pushed from a rival after winning the US titles with a time that sends a message to Gout Gout and his competitors ahead of the World Championships. Gout would have been paying attention to the US titles with 200m world champ Lyles up against rival Kenny Bednarek in a very quick field.
And the pair were involved in a heated moment after the race as Lyles chased down Bednarek on the home stretch to win in 19.63 seconds. Lyles' time is the fastest of the year and well beyond anything Gout has put up so far in his flourishing career.
And the 17-year-old would have also taken notice of Lyles and Bednarek sharing some words after the race. Lyles crossed over into Bednarek's lane after the win having looked over at his rival at the finish line. This prompted Bednarek to give Lyles a little shove as he crossed lanes.
Lyles then taunted Bednarek in front of the cameras having won the event. The pair shared some words in a heated conversation. "I tell ya, if you've got a problem, I expect a call," Bednarek said. Lyles replied: "You know what, you're right. You're right. Let's talk after this."
But Bednarak took aim at his 200m rival moments later in front of the media. "Noah is going to be Noah. If he wants to stare me down that is fine, but I ran five rounds, he is fresh. He can line up again when we are both fresh and see what happens," Bednarak said.
"What he said doesn't matter, it's just what he did. Unsportsmanlike s**t and I don't deal with that." Lyles claimed he wasn't at 100 per cent for the meet, but was happy with his performance.
"It was a pretty difficult championship," Lyles said "I've been tired. It's been rough. Coming out here when you're not 100 per cent and being able to say, 'I still got to give my all no matter what happens.' That's tough. That's tough."
While there is clearly tension between the two, both will be looking to take the crown at the Athletics World Championships next month in Tokyo. And Gout will also be looking to make his mark in a stacked field.
Heated men's 200m race between Noah Lyles 🇺🇸 and Kenny Bednarek!!🔥Lyles ran down Bednarek to win the US title in a World Lead of 19.63s (0.2)!Bednarek was 2nd in 19.67s. pic.twitter.com/TcHvJXSTGj
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) August 3, 2025
'noah got in his way'😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/YI8Ux1bomF
— Shaggy (@DillonAnthony_) August 3, 2025
Gout Gout facing huge step up at world titles
Gout has already been announced as Australia's 200m representative at the world championships and is ready to show the athletics community the hype is real. However, he will need to break some Aussie records if he is going to get the attention of his rivals.
Lyles ran the fastest-time of the year so far to win the race in 19.63. Bednarak was second with an impressive time of 19.67.
To put this into perspective, Gout broke the Aussie national record with 20.02 in the Ostrava meet in June. Gout beat his own national record by 0.02 in what was his first ever run in Europe and also set the record for the track in Ostrava.
While he has sub-20 in Australia the time was not an official record because of the wind assistance. Gout's fastest time would have seen him finish in equal sixth in the US nationals. This is partly why the 17-year-old has only competed in one men's event in overseas competition.
While he competed in the men's race in Ostrava, he followed it up running in the U-23 men division in Monaco. Gout won the race in 20.10 seconds, but was facing strong headwind and recorded an impressive time. Aussie fans can't wait to see what Gout can do at the Tokyo event next month.