For sprinting icon Kenny Bednarek, his mother has played an integral role in his career, and he has always made sure to credit her for his success.
So when he recently won the silver for the Men’s 200m sprint, no one was more overjoyed than Mary Bednarek, who watched in awe.
The dramatic race witnessed Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo swoop in for the gold with a comfortable lead, followed by Bednarek in second place and Noah Lyles in third. Team USA seemed to be banking on Lyles’ performance until he got down with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Bednarek’s win meant his qualification for the 4×100 relay – a sprint that everyone rooting for Team USA has their hopes up high for. This included Mama Bednarek, who was already super proud of her son.
In a statement following the 25-year-old’s achievement, Mary talked about how he had been apprehensive about his talents before this race. But after bagging the silver for the 200m, it looks like Bednarek got his confidence back, which made her happy.
Kenny Bednarek’s mom’s reaction to her son winning Silver in 200. Mary said,
“I feel so overwhelmed! I’m going to start crying. He’s had his disappointments. I just knew he had it in him. The smile on his face said it all. He’s one in a million and I’m so lucky he’s my son.… pic.twitter.com/9mBibHevqY— Coy Wire (@CoyWire) August 8, 2024
“I just knew he had it in him. The smile on his face said it all. He’s one in a million and I’m so lucky he’s my son.”
Now that he will advance to the relays, Mary is sure that her son will bag the gold on that one. Being his biggest cheerleader, she wanted the sprinter to know how much potential he had.
“Tomorrow is the 4×1 relay. He’s leg three and he’s getting gold!”
They share a special mother-son relationship since he isn’t her biological son. The bond has only deepened between them as she constantly strives to support his endeavors on the track.
Bednarek has been grateful for having a chosen family
Not all families follow a traditional blueprint, and Bednarek and his four siblings would know this all too well. Years ago, Mary went on to adopt four children by herself – including Kenny and his brother.
Since then, the kids have grown up knowing love and hopes for a home away from foster care. With the 25-year-old having a successful career in sprinting, Mary even made sure to make extra efforts for him to complete training and become an icon on the track.
Before the Olympics began, Bednarek took to his social media accounts to talk about the foster care system and how children are in dire need of a safe environment.
He announced his partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, wanting to bring awareness to the situation.
