Fred Kerley

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Fred Kerley
Des Moines
2019)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 100 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Doha 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2022 Eugene 100 m
Gold medal – first place 2023 Budapest 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2017 London 4×400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Doha 400 m
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Birmingham 4×400 m relay
Diamond League
Gold medal – first place 2018 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2021 100 m
NACAC U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place
2016 San Salvador
4×100 m relay

Fredrick Lee Kerley (born May 7, 1995) is an American professional track and field sprinter who started his career competing in the 400 meters until 2020, when he transitioned to the 100 meters and 200 meters. He has earned several medals at the World Championships in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay including an individual bronze and a relay gold at the 2019 edition. Kerley claimed 100 m gold in the 2022 edition.

His personal best time of 43.64 seconds makes him the eighth fastest man in history over 400 m.[2] During the pandemic, Kerley chose to focus on the 100 m during the Olympic cycle to improve his basic speed for future attempts at a sub-43 400 m. The decision to move down paid off as he won the silver medal in the 100 m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a 9.84 performance. His personal best time of 9.76 seconds makes him the sixth fastest man in history over the straightaway sprint, behind Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin and joint with Christian Coleman and Trayvon Bromell.

Kerley is one of only 3 men along with Michael Norman and Wayde van Niekerk to go sub-10 seconds in 100 m, sub-20 seconds in 200 m and sub-44 seconds in 400 m.

He is a two-time winner of the Diamond League series, winning the 400 m in 2018 and the 100 m in 2021.

Early life and college

Kerley attended

Texas A&M
.

In 2016, Fred Kerley tried out for the Olympic team at the

4 × 100 meters relay team to gold.[4]

In March 2017, he won the 400 m at the

400 m at the 2017 NCAA West Preliminary with a time of 43.70 s, taking three-tenths of a second off the 44.00 record by Olympic champion Quincy Watts, set almost 25 years earlier.[6][7] Kerley had met Watts just before the race.[8] He concluded his amateur career to win the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 2017 NCAA Division I Championships
in June.

Career

2017

Kerley at the 2018 USATF Indoor Championships

A few weeks later in June 2017, Kerley won the 400 m at the USATF Championships in 44.03 seconds, qualifying to represent the United States in both the 400 m and the 4 × 400 m relay at the World Championships in Athletics. After winning his heat he finished third in his semi, but qualified for the final on time.[9] In the final he was unable to replicate his form from earlier in the season, finishing seventh in a time of 45.23 s. He came back a day later to help the US qualify for the finals in the relay, and then a few days later earned a silver medal behind Trinidad and Tobago.

2018

In 2018, Kerley came back from an injury to win the

Diamond League trophy in the men's 400 meters.[10]

After Kerley turned professional in 2017 he joined club ALTIS in Phoenix, Arizona, and trained there under the guidance of Kevin Tyler for the 2018 season.[11] However, in 2019 he returned to Texas A&M to train under his former coach Alleyne Francique, stating to Track & Field News "I believe in him so much that I had to come back to train with him."[1]

2021

Kerley made his 2021 outdoor debut March 20 at the Tropical Park Elite Sprints Meet in Tropical Park, Florida with a pair of personal bests in the 100 m, 10.15 s in the heats and 10.11 s in the final, and then improved that time twice again at the Pure Athletics Spring Invitational in Clermont, Florida on April 4 with times of 10.06 in the heats and 10.03 to win the final.[12]

Kerley achieved his first

Olympic Trials would be 400 m.[14]

On June 27, 2021, during the 2021 US Olympic Trials 200m final, Kerley ran a 19.90 his first

2022

While competing in the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Kerley won his maiden individual World Championship gold medal in the 100m.[16] Kerley ran 9.76 seconds in the semi-final.[17] In the final, Kerley pipped compatriot Marvin Bracy on the line with a time of 9.86 seconds winning the world title in the process. Fellow American Trayvon Bromell finished third, completing a clean sweep.[18]

Statistics

Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.[19]

Personal bests

Surface Event Time Venue Date Notes
Outdoor 400 meters 43.64 Des Moines, IA, United States July 27, 2019 #8 all-time
200 meters 19.76 A Nairobi, Kenya September 18, 2021 +2.0 m/s wind, #22 all-time
100 meters 9.76 Eugene, OR, United States June 24, 2022 +1.8 m/s, #6 all-time
4 × 400 m relay 2:56.69 Doha, Qatar October 6, 2019 2019 WL
4 × 200 m relay 1:21.11 Austin, TX, United States April 2, 2016
4 × 100 m relay 38.63
San Salvador
, El Salvador
July 16, 2017
Indoor 400 meters 44.85 College Station, TX, United States March 11, 2017 Indoor 2017 WL,[20] #7 all-time
200 meters 20.58 Fayetteville, AR, United States January 27, 2017
4 × 400 m relay 3:01.97 Birmingham, United Kingdom March 4, 2018

International championship results

Representing the  United States
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2016
NACAC U23 Championships
San Salvador
, El Salvador
8th (semis) 200 m 21.17 +0.7 m/s wind, q[note 1]
1st 4 × 100 m relay 38.63 PB
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 7th 400 m 45.23
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 2:58.61 PB
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:01.97 #2 all-time[note 2]
2019 World Relays
Yokohama
, Japan
DQ 4 × 400 m relay Lane violation[24]
World Championships Doha, Qatar 3rd 400 m 44.17
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:56.69 WL, PB[note 3]
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 2nd 100 m 9.84 +0.1 m/s wind, PB
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 1st 100 m 9.86 -0.1 m/s wind
20th (sf) 200 m 20.68 -0.1 m/s wind
2023 World Championships
Budapest, Hungary
9th (sf) 100 m 10.02
1st 4 × 100 m relay 37.38

Circuit wins and titles

National championship results

Representing
South Plains College Texans (2014–2015), Texas A&M Aggies (2016–2017), Nike (2018–2022), and Asics (2023-2024)[26]
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2014 NJCAA Division I Championships Mesa, Arizona 6th 400 m 46.84
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:05.86
USATF Junior Championships Eugene, Oregon 8th 400 m 47.49 [27]
2015 NJCAA Indoor Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 2nd 400 m 47.15 SB
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:12.56
NJCAA Division I Championships Hutchinson, Kansas 11th 400 m 47.81
3rd (semis) 4 × 400 m relay 3:11.75 q[note 4][28]
2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Birmingham, Alabama 8th 4 × 400 m relay 3:07.49
NCAA Division I Championships Eugene, Oregon 13th 400 m 45.99
DNF (semi 1) 4 × 100 m relay [29]
4th 4 × 400 m relay 3:03.94
US Olympic Trials
Eugene, Oregon 27th 400 m 46.70 [30]
2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships College Station, Texas 1st 400 m 44.85 WL, PB[20]
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:02.80
NCAA Division I Championships Eugene, Oregon 1st 400 m 44.10
4th 4 × 100 m relay 38.72 SB
1st 4 × 400 m relay 2:59.98
USATF Championships Sacramento, California 1st 400 m 44.03 [31]
2018 USATF Indoor Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 5th 400 m 45.63 A[32]
2019 USATF Championships Des Moines, Iowa 1st 400 m 43.64 PB
2021
US Olympic Trials
Eugene, Oregon 3rd 100 m 9.86 +0.8 m/s wind, PB
4th 200 m 19.90 +0.3 m/s wind, PB
2022 USATF Championships Eugene, Oregon 1st 100 m 9.77 +1.8 m/s wind
3rd 200 m 19.83 -0.3 m/s wind
  • NCAA results from Track & Field Results Reporting System.[33][34]

400 m seasonal bests

Year Time Venue Date
2014 46.38 Mesa, AZ, United States May 16
2015 47.15 Albuquerque, NM, United States March 7
2016 45.10 Tempe, AZ, United States April 9
2017 43.70 Austin, TX, United States May 26
2018 44.33 Rome, Italy May 31
2019 43.64 Des Moines, IA, United States July 27
2021 44.60 Doha, Qatar May 28
2022 44.47 St. George's, Grenada March 5

Personal life

Kerley's older cousin is former

NFL wide receiver Jeremy Kerley.[35]

Kerley's has a Christian faith, and regularly attended church after practice.[36]

Notes

  1. ^ Qualified for the final, but did not start (DNS) in the final.[21][22]
  2. ^ Shared with Michael Cherry, Aldrich Bailey, and Vernon Norwood for the United States. Kerley was the first carrier before Cherry.[23]
  3. Wil London, and Rai Benjamin for the United States. Kerley was the first carrier before Cherry.[25]
  4. ^ South Plains placed third in the final, but it is not clear from the Track & Field Results Reporting System who ran for the team in the final.

References

  1. ^ a b c Jeff Hollobaugh (April 12, 2019). "T&FN Interview – Fred Kerley, World No. 1 in the 400". trackandfieldnews.com. Track & Field News. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Top Lists – All time Top lists - Senior Outdoor 400 Metres Men". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Jennifer Kendall (July 1, 2016). "Taylor track star competing for spot on U.S. Olympic team". fox7austin.com. FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  4. KVUE
    . Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  5. IAAF
    . Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  6. ^ Dennis Young (May 26, 2017). "WATCH: Fred Kerley Destroys Collegiate 400m Record In 43.70". flotrack.org. FloTrack. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "Texas A&M's Fred Kerley Runs 43.70 400m to Crush Quincy Watts' NCAA Record – (Video)". letsrun.com. May 12, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  8. ^ Taylor Dutch (June 5, 2017). "Record-Holders Quincy Watts, Fred Kerley Connect in 400m 'Pain Business'". flotrack.org. FloTrack. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  9. KBTX
    . August 6, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  10. ^ Nick Zaccardi (August 30, 2018). "Noah Lyles matches Usain Bolt feat in Speed Racer socks". nbcsports.com. NBC. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  11. IAAF
    . Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  12. ^ Goss, Symone (April 5, 2021). Kerley Lowers 100m PB To 10.03; World-Lead For Miller-Uibo In Florida. World-Track. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  13. ^ "MPM du 100m pour l'Américain Fred Kerley en 991". L'Équipe. April 26, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Kerley underlines his 100m credentials". Reuters. May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  15. ^ @AthleticsWeekly (June 28, 2021). "Fred Kerley is only the third man in..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Fred Kerley delivers 100m 2022 Track and Field World Championships title, July 16, 2022, retrieved July 17, 2022
  17. ^ "Kerley makes 'statement' in 100m heat - Johnson". BBC Sport. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  18. ^ "Kerley leads U.S. sweep of 100 meters at worlds". ESPN.com. July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  19. ^ Fred Kerley at World Athletics
  20. ^
    IAAF
    . Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  21. ^ "Event 307 Men 200 Meter Dash". tiempodellegada.com. July 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  22. ^ "Event 317 Men 200 Meter Dash". tiempodellegada.com. July 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  23. ^ Jason Henderson (March 4, 2018). "Poland smash world indoor 4x400m record". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  24. ^ Stuart Weir (May 12, 2019). "2019 Yokohama Diary: The 4x400 meters relays at the 2019 IAAF World Relays". RunBlogRun. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  25. IAAF
    . October 6, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  26. ^ "What To Make Of Fred Kerley Leaving Nike For Asics". Citius Mag. February 22, 2023.
  27. USATF. July 6, 2014. Archived from the original
    on July 14, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  28. ^ "National Junior College Championships – Men's 4 x 400 Relay Preliminaries". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). May 16, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  29. ^ "NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships – Men's 4 x 100 Relay". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). June 11, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  30. USATF
    . July 10, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  31. USATF. June 25, 2017. Archived from the original
    on October 12, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  32. USATF. February 19, 2018. Archived from the original
    on June 28, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  33. ^ "Fred Kerley at Texas A&M". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  34. ^ "Fred Kerley at South Plains". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  35. ^ "Fred Kerley, cousin of ex-Jets WR Jeremy Kerley, wins Olympic silver medal". USA Today. August 3, 2021.
  36. ^ Watta, Evelyn. "Fred Kerley: Top things that you didn't know about the new world champion". Olympics.com.

External links