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The American sprinter was not happy that his silver medal was not enough not see his flight upgraded as he travelled back home from the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Olympics 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek has complained of not being recognised for his heroics in Paris by an airline.
Bednarek won silver in the 200m behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo while Noah Lyles settled for bronze and while flying back home from Paris, he thought his seat would be upgraded due to his new status.
However, he remained in the same class, something that did not impress him.
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19:03 - 08.08.2024
American star accuses Olympics organisers of favouring compatriot Noah Lyles ahead 200m final
The American outperformed his teammates but fears the Olympics are biased towards his Noah Lyles ahead of the keenly anticipated final.
“No flight upgrade after a silver medal,” Bednarek posted on X.
The comment drew the ire of fans who slammed the airline for not treating the country’s heroics well and also for missing an opportunity to promote itself.
“Huge missed opportunity to ride the wave of public interest. They created all that Team USA content for in-flight but put Olympians in the back? Ooph,” responded a disappointed fan.
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14:39 - 12.08.2024
Emmanuel Wanyonyi & Letsile Tebogo among the seven top male performers at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Seven top male athletes from the just-concluded Paris 2024 Olympics
Another one said: “We got to treat our champions better for real.”
“Welcome to a sport ruled by bureaucrats. Congrats on getting the job done in spite of them.”
“A whole Olympic medalist, they need to roll out a red carpet for you, all the way to 1st class,” said another.
Some, however, saw the fun in Bednarek’s comments.
![[WATCH] Noah Lyles' belittling of Canada's 4x100m relay team comes back to haunt him](https://sportal365images.com/process/smp-images-production/ringier.africa/13082024/cac1620b-97d4-47a9-9632-5acdbe787da2.jpeg?operations=fit(:350))
15:30 - 13.08.2024
[WATCH] Noah Lyles' belittling of Canada's 4x100m relay team comes back to haunt him
Noah Lyles wrote off the threat of Canada after the US won the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas last April, only for them to be crowned Olympic champions in Paris, with his own country getting disqualified.
“I hope Lyles is sitting next to you with his bronze, or it would be a tragedy,” commented the supporter.
“I'll bet you made the day of whoever you sat next to in the "cheap seats." Not every day you get to sit next to an Olympian! I certainly would remember it.”
“In their defense we got a lot of medals - that would have been a lot of upgrades. You’re still awesome though.”
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