Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles won the 200-meter national championship on Sunday and got a two-handed shove from rival Kenny Bednarek moments after the thrilling rally in Oregon.
Lyles overtook Bednarek in the final strides and turned to stare down the runner-up, who then reached out with both hands to forcefully push the winner away.
Before the beef could heat up, Bednarek extended his hand to congratulate Lyles for winning the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships event and the pair calmly addressed their differences.
An NBC Sports camera approached them on the track at Hayward Field and caught the tail end of their chat which seemed to reflect a spat that pre-dated Sunday’s race.
“If you got a problem, I expected a call,” Bednarek said. “That’s all I’m saying.”
Lyles then extended an olive branch as well.
“You know what, you’re right,” Lyles said. “Let’s talk after this.”
Bednarek declined to explain the shove.
“I’m not going to say that out here but we got something to do and talk about,” he told NBC Sports. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
Lyles’ time of 19.63 seconds was .04 better than Bednarek, setting the stage for a rematch in the world championship outdoor meet set for Sept. 19 in Tokyo.
Lyles, 28, was one of the breakout stars from Paris last summer, taking gold in the most thrilling races of the 2024 games. Lyles barely nudged out Cashain Thompson to become the first American to take 100 gold since 2004.
Lyles then won bronze in the 200, finishing third behind gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and the runner-up, Bednarek.
The American then revealed he had tested positive for Covid and had moved into a hotel, away from the Olympic Village, to quarantine.
