As a world-class sprinter, Kenny Bednarek lacks the sort of brash persona typically associated with his chosen profession. Sprinters tend to be loud. They generally carry themselves with a brand of confidence that borders on arrogance. They are, in other words, nearly impossible to miss.

But even now, with two Olympic medals in his possession, Mr. Bednarek is a bit on the quiet side — reserved, even, especially when compared with the likes of Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson, who are megaphones personified.

There is one way, though, in which Mr. Bednarek has managed to break through the noise and make his presence felt: he routinely transforms into his headband-wearing alter ego, Kung Fu Kenny.

“Just to express myself and do something to stand out as my own person,” he said of the headbands he wears for races, which help him get into character. “Most people, when they’re watching the race, they’re going to know exactly who that is when the gun goes off.”

Throughout his summer track and field season, which will conclude on Saturday, when he races in Brussels, Mr. Bednarek has worn a variety of colorful headbands that knot in the back.

There are headbands that are based on his favorite characters from Japanese anime. Headbands that feature phrases like “Beast Mode” and “Curve Conqueror,” a nod to his expertise at exploding around the turn toward the finish line.