Kenny Bednarek finally turned the tables on Oblique Seville after the Jamaican won the biggest prize from him at the 2025 World Championships. In Tokyo, Seville won the 100m world title in 9.77 seconds by beating Kishane Thompson and Noah Lyles, while Bednarek finished fourth in 9.92. A year later in Budapest, with Lyles sidelined by injury, Bednarek made sure the reigning world champion could not stand in his way again.
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The two-time Olympic 200m silver medalist entered the men’s 100m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on September 12, facing a field that included the reigning world champion. Seville arrived as the fastest man in the field this season, having run 9.82, while Bednarek was looking to finally turn his years of near misses into a major individual title. Bednarek did exactly that.
The American powered to victory in 9.85 seconds, beating Seville by five hundredths of a second as the Jamaican finished in 9.90. Ronnie Baker completed the American presence on the podium in third, while Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi finished fourth after the two were separated by just 0.004 seconds. The victory was especially important for Bednarek, who had collected four global silver medals without winning an individual global title.
This time, he finally had the gold around his neck, and he did it by beating the man who had denied him a place on the podium at the previous World Championships. The result also came at a time when the United States was missing its biggest 100m name. Noah Lyles had entered 2026 as one of America’s leading sprint stars and produced a world-leading 9.79-second run at the U.S. Championships in July. He was also the reigning Olympic 100m champion after winning gold in Paris in 2024.
Lyles’ season, however, took a turn after the U.S. Championships. He initially described the problem from the 200m final as a cramp, but the issue later developed into further physical complications that disrupted his training. Despite hoping to recover in time for Budapest, Lyles eventually announced on September 4 that he was ending his season early.
That decision ruled Lyles out of the Ultimate Championship and removed one of the biggest names from the men’s 100m field. He was also forced to give up a chance at the event’s $150,000 winner’s prize. But the United States still had Bednarek.
The American had already proved, in Tokyo, that he was one of the best in the world. He recorded a 9.85 in the semifinals at the 2025 World Championships, equaling Thompson’s best qualifying time, before finishing fourth in the final. That Tokyo night left Bednarek watching Seville celebrate the biggest victory of his career. Budapest gave him the chance to change that story. This time, Seville could not hold him off.