TAHLEQUAH, Okla — One of the track athletes on Team USA continuing his race for gold in Paris this week is Kenny Bednarek, who's originally from Green Country.
Tahlequah track and field coaches Lance Jeanes, Fred Poteete, Elzy Miller, and David Spears weren't just witnesses of the future Tokyo 2020 silver medalist. They helped mold him.
"He took the talent that he had already and worked hard to get where he is," Poteete told 2 News.
"And (when) he was just a fifth grader (he ran) 12.1 seconds in the 100-meter dash, and I think he ran in a 56-second 400-meter. And it's a thing of beauty," Spears said. "I mean, you can see why he is at the level he is right now."
Bednarek was born in Tulsa but became a foster child with his brother Ian. After getting adopted, they found their first true home in Tahlequah.
Coach Jeanes said that's also where Kenny found his first love: track and cross country.
"We knew we had something special there cause we just didn't know what to put him in," Jeanes said. "He was gonna get first in everything."
Bednarek literally ran the playground at Greenwood Elementary School during his youth in the town. It's also where he met his friend and running partner Joshua Justice Dick, who had a solid college career himself at OU, Kansas, and North Dakota.
"We were always just trying to just kind of go run and be teammates, and everybody else was trying to make it a contest between us," Dick told 2 News. "For him to be at that level with that background, if anything, people should be inspired."
The only regret Dick and the coaches have in knowing Bednarek is that they couldn't see him win medals in a Tigers high school uniform.
"His mom was involved with Indian Health Care Services. A lot of times they get to a place they don't stay long, and she got transferred to Wisconsin," Spears said.
"It was a day of mourning in Tahlequah when we found out he was gone," Poteete joked. "It was the day of mourning because we lost a great person and a great athlete, too."
"People come, people go. That's life," Dick added. "But it's great to see him going to do good things. When you see people kind of chase their dreams and keep their head on straight, that's something to be proud of."
So what should Green Country expect when watching Bednarek race against the world's best?
"He won't hold back, and he'll give you everything he's got," Jeanes said. "That's one thing when you watch him run, you are going to see."
Bednarek won silver for the USA in the 200 meter men's race on Aug. 8.
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