Athletic rivalries always make for healthy competition. Think Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, or Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The emotions always run high, but the respect for the others’ skill and sportsmanship is what keeps things interesting; heartwarming even, at times. Well, earlier this month, two of the world’s fastest men, sprinters Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles, experienced a tenser moment in their famous rivalry when they had a slight standoff at the USA Track and Field Championships.

At the very end of the 200-meter race, Lyles, who had run past Bednarek just before the finish, turned back to look at his opponent, a moment that clearly upset Bednarek because it caused him to then push Lyles in the back. And then came the tense verbal exchange. Though the two seemed to sort it out with a handshake soon after the race, Bednarek seemed to still carry some bad blood, calling Lyles’ behavior disrespectful.

“What he said didn’t matter, it’s just what he did,” Bednarek told reporters. “Unsportsmanlike … and I don’t deal with that. It’s a respect factor. He’s fresh. Last time we lined it up, I beat him, that’s all I can say. Next time we line up, I’m going to win. That’s all that matters.”

Later on, Bednarek said of the moment, “As you saw, Noah stared me down. I gave a push. I feel like we both could have handled that situation a little bit differently and with more respect.” There’s no saying what really went down between the both of them and how things currently stand, but it is interesting that ahead of their next face-off at the Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland, on the 16th, Kenny Bednarek posted a cryptic message to his X account.

“Mind on the mission,” Kenny Bednarek wrote above a cartoonized image of him in a traditional looking warrior outfit, complete with furs and face paint. This is ahead of the 100m faceoff that Bednarek and Lyles will have in Silasia, and that will be streamed on FloTrack; however, things often seem to favor Lyles in this famous rivalry.

The Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles rivalry: who has a better chance at Silasia and the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo?

As Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles head into the Diamond League meet tomorrow and the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo next month, there’s no doubt that Bednarek will want to get back at Lyles for that cheeky glance back. But how much of a chance does he really have? The truth is, in the 18 times that Lyles and Bednarek have faced each other, Lyles has won 14 times, so maybe the war paint in the X post is necessary for Bednarek to finally stake his claim.

Lyles, after all, is the defending Olympic champion in the 100 m race and just beat Bednarek in the USA Track and Field Championships in the 200 m race; however, Bednarek has been working on his form and just clocked his own best record of 100 m in 9.79 seconds.

The truth is, anything is possible, and Lyles may have just done Kenny Bednarek a great favor by glancing back at him as the former crossed the finish line. Maybe Lyle’s has finally lit the fire in Bednarek that he’d needed all along to tilt the scales in this ongoing feud; after all, he’s two years younger than Lyles, and at some point, as in all great rivalries, the scales are bound to shift.