Sprinter Kenny Bednarek celebrated his placement on the United States (US) national team with a Masicka single. Using Masicka’s Mute as the accompanying track in a post to his social media pages following his second-place finish at the USATF National Championships on Sunday, Bednarek declared it is now “onward and upwards” as he anticipates a fierce 200m showdown at the World Athletic Championships come September.

Bednarek’s post follows an intense 200m battle between himself and reigning World Champion Noah Lyles for the coveted spots on the US team. As the two crossed the finish line, Bednarek visibly pushed Lyles in the back, causing a brief moment of tension between the two sprinters. Bednarek later apologised for his actions.

Today, Bednarek’s celebratory Masicka song choice has earned him the backing of a strong Jamaican contingency as his comment section was loaded with supportive “yaadies”. Dubbing him “Kenny Badness”, scores of Jamaicans commented that the sprinter is now their choice for the win in Tokyo.

“Since we as Jamaicans don’t like Noah, we approve the song choice and we’re backing you at the World Championship in the 200m,” one user commented under Bednarek’s post.

“Kenny badness! Go to Jamaica, go eat some yellow yam and few steam snapper, and you will beat Noah,” another posted.

“Rep, rep, rep. We rooting for you,” another commented using a slew of Jamaica flag stickers.

As Jamaicans showed their support in the comments, they encouraged Bednarek to put Lyles on “mute” come September.

It is no secret that there is a strained relationship between Jamaican track and field supporters and Lyles. As he continues his rise on the sprint circuit, Lyles, the Olympic 100m champion, has been dubbed the “fastest man alive” by some. The latter has not gone down well with Jamaicans who believe the title still belongs to retired sprinter Usain Bolt. The latter has been the genesis of countless debates on the local and international circuit over the past few years.

Lyles also earned the scorn of many Jamaicans last year when he revealed that he was privy to sensitive information about local sprinters because of his relationship with Junelle Bromfield, a Jamaican athlete.

In an interview back in July 2024, Lyles spoke about his relationship with Bromfield and mentioned that he had learnt a lot about Jamaican camps over the past five years.

“Junelle being Jamaican and having trained in MVP, I have been getting a lot of drama from the Jamaica camp for at least five years now,” he said. “There are a lot of times I make references about Jamaicans, but I am not trying to go back and forth, like I know information that other people don’t.”

After Lyles’ comments, fans on social media accused Bromfield of secretly giving inside information to her boyfriend. She faced a sea of criticism even while representing the country at the 2024 summer Olympic Games.