Articles
Matt Nelson
Placed into foster care at a young age, U.S. athletics star Kenny Bednarek struggled with feelings of insecurity as a child. He found it tough to process his emotions and tricky to trust those closest to him – repercussions that lingered long after Mary Ann Bednarek adopted him and his twin brother Ian at the age of four.
Read Full ArticleJune 29, 2026
ABC News
ABC News' Danny New talks to Kenny Bednarek, an Olympic silver medalist who was adopted out of foster care when he was four years old and credits his adoptive mother's love for his success.
Read Full ArticleJuly 23, 2026
Los Angles Gran Prix
Athletics: Kenny Bednarek storms to men’s 100m victory at LA Grand Prix 2026
Backing up his impressive early season form with a non-wind legal 9.72 seconds, the U.S. sprint star delivers on Sunday.
May 31, 2026
Rabat Diamond League
The Olympic 200m silver medallist clocked 19.69 seconds to claim victory ahead of Olympic champions Letsile Tebogo and Andre De Grasse.
May 31, 2026
New York Times
Kenny Bednarek knows you are a product of your environment.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was adopted at the age of four.
“What made me love track was, as a kid, I didn’t have control over my life. I was kind of terrified,” he says. “Track was something I had control of — the only control I had in my life.
“All of the hard work I put in, I would get the outcome. It was where I felt most free, where I had no care in the world.
“As soon as the gun went off, I was just running, having fun.”
June 28, 2025
Olympics
American Kenny Bednarek, a two-time Olympic silver medal winner in the 200m, sprinted to a 19.95 200m time in the men’s short sprints to lead Team GB’s Zharnel Hughes Saturday (31 May) at Grand Slam Track’s third stop in Philadelphia.
Hughes, one of Grand Slam Track’s designated Racers, clocked in at 20.50 for second. Canada’s Aaron Brown was third, with Olympic gold medallist Andre De Grasse in fourth.
May 31, 2025
Olympics
As Kenny Bednarek settled into the starting blocks at last year's Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, a hush fell over Hayward Field - save for one voice that was quite familiar to the 200m Olympic silver medallist.
"She was like, 'Go, Kenny!'" Bednarek laughs, adding: "And in my head, I'm like, 'Mom, shhh!'"
There is a special bond for the 25-year-old Bednarek and his mother, Mary, who adopted Kenny and his twin brother Ian out of foster care and helped him navigate early issues, including ADHD and the emotional repercussions that living in the system brought about.
"We worked through everything," he said of his family, with Mary adopting four children in total. "The heart that my mum had, the perseverance to go through adopting four kids by herself and sticking it through... she's inspired me to be a better person every single day.
May 22, 2024
Kenny Bednarek is not done for the season. Building up his confidence, which has undoubtedly become easier with multiple wins at Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam track, Bednarek expects to continue winning and living up to his fans’ expectations.
“They expect to see me double. That’s pretty much what I’ve done every single year. But this year, I feel like, in particular, it’s going to be even more special. I’ve been winning a lot of races, and that’s been building a lot of confidence. So, going into the trials, I’m just expecting big things. I want to go out there and execute my race and have some fun,” the 26-year-old said to me during a Zoom interview.
Forbes
July 21, 2025