America just brought the curtain down on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. With a sweep, the track stars secured gold in men’s and women’s 4x100m relays. Hours later, Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey, and Noah Lyles stormed to gold in 37.29, a world-leading time achieved in pouring rain at the Japan National Stadium. Yet amid the celebrations, a revelation from Kenny Bednarek shifted attention toward the foundations of these victories. A person without whom it would not have been possible.

After securing the wins, Kung fu Kenny took to his X handle and wrote a few lines to express his heartfelt respect towards their mentor, Dennis Mitchell. Kenny wrote, “Shoutout to my coaches Dennis Mitchell and Chareif Lewis @star_athletics 🙏🏾 First time in history 7 out of 8 athletes from two 🇺🇸 relay teams competing come from one track club. And won Gold!🥇🥇 Couldn’t be prouder to be part of this.” Mitchell has undoubtedly left an impeccable coaching footprint behind the American dominance. 

The double triumph gave the USA 16 gold medals in Tokyo, more than the next five nations combined. In addition, the USA also became a part of history, holding Jefferson-Wooden’s hands. She joined Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as one of only two women to grab the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m golds in a single World Championships. Alongside that, Lyles also collected his eighth world title in his career.

Six years ago, in 2019, Kenny Bednarek began his training under Dennis Mitchell, following guidance from his sponsor, Nike. Since then, it was the constant growth of Kung Fu Kenny that made him one of the formidable athletes of this generation. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, after finishing seventh in the men’s 100-meter final with a time of 9.88 seconds, Bednarek faced the weight of unmet expectations. In Netflix’s Sprint docuseries, he even admitted, “I’m tired of losing.” But it was his coach who reassured him of his capacity. “This is nothing to hold your head down over,” he told Bednarek, emphasizing resilience and the path forward. 

If one dives into Mitchell’s coaching resume, it would validate Bednarek’s gratitude. Named the 2023 USATF Nike Coach of the Year, Mitchell guided Sha’Carri Richardson through a commanding season that redefined her career and led to multiple world medals. He mentored Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry to a 4x100m relay gold at the 2023 World Championships and had earlier directed the US relay teams between 2014 and 2016, which also brought home the gold at Rio 2016. However, another athlete has not appreciated Mitchell’s coaching prowess. 

Did Gabby Thomas point fingers at Dennis Mitchell on ‘doping coaches’?

Gabby Thomas had not retreated from her uncompromising words. She wrote, “Doping coaches should be banned for life from coaching in the sport.” She left little space for ambiguity. It did not take long for such a statement to circulate in the track and field community. In no time, speculations quickly settled on one name: Dennis Mitchell.

Fans considered this a direct aim at Mitchell. Why? He once tested positive for testosterone and attempted to explain it away with what became one of the sport’s more improbable excuses. Moreover, adding to this, Gabby’s pointed remark that “If you train under a coach who is known for doping … you are complicit” was received by many as a direct reference to him. More so for his present role guiding world-class athletes such as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, to whom Gabby lost twice this season.

The timing lent further weight to that interpretation. Thomas, the reigning Olympic champion over 200 metres, had recently seen her rival, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, dominate, establishing herself as the unbeatable force this year. Against that backdrop, her words seemingly struck a chord among netizens.