Ranikuthi's GD Birla School was decked out on Thursday afternoon. Red carpet, felicitation arrangements, students singing the Imagine Dragons band's 'Believer' song-all this could well be expected. A double Olympic medal-winning athlete doesn't visit South Kolkata neighbourhoods every day, after all.
After Tokyo, Kenny Bednarek won silver in the 200 meters at last year's Paris Olympics as well. He's known in athletic circles as 'Kung Fu Kenny'. That 27-year-old American sprinter is now in the city for Sunday's Tata Steel 25 Kilometre Race.
Kenny has brought along his Paris Olympics silver and this year's Tokyo World Championships gold medal. The school's little ones filled the air with applause, seeing them. Later, when Kenny was asked about the deterioration of his Paris medal, he laughed and said, "Many people have taken the Paris medal wherever they've gone to show it off. I don't take it out that way. I brought it here. If you hold it and look, you'll see several spots have worn away."
ALSO READ | PM Modi lauds India’s squash champions for ‘tremendous dedication’ at SDAT Squash World Cup
The gold he won at this year's Tokyo World Championships was in the 4X100 meter relay. But from 2020 until now, he has only won silver in the 200 meters at the Olympics or World Championships. In Kenny's words, "Earlier in our country, it was just Noah Lyles and me. Now Arian Knight and Bryan Lavel have emerged there. Competition has increased a lot at the world level too."
'Silver Surfer'
He also joked about repeatedly winning silver, calling himself the Marvel character 'Silver Surfer', "I'm now the 'Silver Surfer.' I keep getting on the podium, which is good. But I want to change the colour of the medal quickly too."
However, for winning races, Kenny gave the most credit not just to skill but to mental strength. His explanation, "Without mental preparation, physical fitness has no value. I've seen many talented athletes who clock great times in practice but can't perform on race day-the reason is mental. In my opinion, this sport is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical."
ALSO READ | John Cena bids an emotional farewell, closing the ring on a legendary WWE era
At one time, Jamaican athletes dominated the 100 and 200 meters. Usain Bolt reigned supreme. But in the last two Olympics, Jamaicans have won just one medal from the 100 and 200 meters, while American men have won seven out of a possible 12 medals. Among them, Noah Lyles won gold in the 100 meters in Paris.
Is American sprinting making a comeback?
Kenny's comment: 'We were actually always there. Usain Bolt was an athlete of a different level. But recently Noah brought us gold in the 100 meters in Paris—that's a big deal for us.' He added, 'We want to do something great at the upcoming World Championships and Los Angeles Olympics. Especially at the 2028 Olympics on home turf, winning many medals is our goal.'
