The tension that boiled over at the U.S. Championships has not vanished. What began as a staredown and shove in Eugene, with Kenny Bednarek calling Noah Lyles “unsportsmanlike s–t, ” has followed the pair onto the Diamond League circuit. Their rivalry, already volatile, now carries fresh dimensions after the men’s 100 meters in Silesia delivered a result that altered the conversation.

In that U.S. 200m final, Lyles cut across the line in 19.63 seconds, staring down Bednarek as he edged him by four-hundredths of a second. Bednarek, unwilling to let the gesture pass, shoved his compatriot and later dismissed the behavior as “unsportsmanlike…, and I don’t deal with that.” The two had exchanged terse words on live television, with Bednarek warning, “Don’t do that to me. I don’t

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