Fred Kerley
![]() Kerley at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Fredrick Lee Kerley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | May 7, 1995||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home town | Taylor, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Sprints | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College team |
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Turned pro | June 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Quincy Watts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest world ranking | 1st (100m, weeks 58) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal bests | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Fredrick Lee Kerley OLY (/ˈkɜːrli/ KUR-lee; born May 7, 1995)[2] is an American track and field sprinter. He was the Olympic silver medalist over 100 m at the 2020 Olympics and bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympics in the same event. Kerley has earned an additional six medals at the World Championships, most notably 100m gold at the 2022 edition. He has also medalled in the 400m, 4 x 100m relay, and 4 × 400 m relay and won eleven Diamond League races, including two Diamond League finals - the 400m in 2018 and the 100m in 2021.
His personal best time of 43.64 seconds makes him the tenth fastest man in history over 400 metres.[3] 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 three 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.
Early life and college
Kerley attended Taylor High School and his youth team was the College Station Sprinters in College Station, Texas. Afterwards he attended South Plains College from 2013 to 2015 before transferring to Texas A&M.
In 2016, Fred Kerley tried out for the Olympic team at the USA Olympic Trials.[4] He did not qualify out of his heat, but he went on to represent the United States at the NACAC Under-23 Championships where he anchored the 4 × 100 meters relay team to gold.[5]
In March 2017, he won the 400 m at the NCAA Division I Championships in a world leading time of 44.85 s, one of the top ten fastest indoor times ever. He joined his younger brother Mylik Kerley as he anchored the Aggies to a come from behind victory in the 4 × 400 m relay. The two first place finishes contributed 20 points to the team, helping bring Texas A&M to their first ever team victory at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, run on their home track. In May, Kerley ran 44.09 s, just 0.09 s off the NCAA record, while easing to the finish line at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships in Columbia, South Carolina.[6] A few weeks later Kerley set the NCAA record in the men's 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.[7][8] Kerley had met Watts just before the race.[9] He concluded his amateur career to win the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 2017 NCAA Division I Championships in June.
Professional career
2017
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/2018_USA_Indoor_Track_and_Field_Championships_%2839439538975%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/170px-2018_USA_Indoor_Track_and_Field_Championships_%2839439538975%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
A few weeks later, after turning professional and signing with Nike, 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.[10] 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
Training under Kevin Tyler with widely-renowned club ALTIS in Phoenix, Arizona,[11] Kerley finished 3rd in the 400m at the 2018 US Indoor Championships, failing to qualify for the individual 400m at the upcoming World Indoor Championships but making it onto the 4 × 400 m relay team. There, he helped the team to a silver medal finish.
Outdoors, Kerley ran several races across the international circuit, including a win in the 400m at the Rome Diamond League. However, none of his times came close to his 43.70 personal best. Despite suffering an injury in June, Kerley bounced back in August to win at the Birmingham Diamond League, before winning the Diamond League trophy in the men's 400 meters in Zurich.[12] After the season, he returned to Texas A&M to train under Francique, stating to Track & Field News "I believe in him so much that I had to come back to train with him."[1]
2019
Kerley was selected to compete for the US in the 4x400m relay at the 2019 IAAF World Relays, but the team was disqualified in the preliminaries. Kerley took wins at the Shanghai Diamond League and the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica, and finished third at the Stanford Diamond League. A month later, Kerley won the US title in a new personal best time of 43.64 seconds, making him the 7th fastest man on the all-time rankings at the time. At the World Championships in Doha, Kerley won the bronze medal in the individual event and helped the US to a gold in the relay.
2021
After the COVID-19 pandemic erased the 2020 season and delayed the 2020 Summer Olympics by a year, Kerley kicked off his 2021 season with several 100m races in order to work on his speed for the longer sprint; he broke the historic 10-second barrier at the TRUfit Classic in Miami on April 24, winning in 9.91 s with a maximum allowable wind velocity for record purposes (+2.0 m/s).[13] On May 19 he won the men's 100 m in 9.96 s at the Golden Spike in Ostrava, finishing ahead of former Olympic and World champion Justin Gatlin who settled for second in 10.08 s. Kerley also ran in the 200 m where he placed second with a time of 20.27 s, trailing Kenny Bednarek from the start who won in 19.93 s. According to Reuters, Kerley was satisfied with his performances, but thought there was more work to do in his 200 m and his focus for the Olympic Trials would be 400 m.[14] However, after 400m races in Doha and Hengelo caused his ankle to swell due to the turns, he decided to focus on the 100m and 200m at the Trials. Kerley also stated that the popularity of the 100m was another factor in his switch.
Despite online backlash for his decision, Kerley silenced doubters by finishing third in the 100m at the Trials, qualifying for his first Olympic team. In the 200m, Kerley struggled throughout the rounds due to the turns and their impact on his ankles, and he narrowly qualified for the final on time. However, he managed to finish an impressive fourth with his first sub-20 performance; this made him the 3rd athlete to join the "Sub 10s, 20s, 44s club for the 100m, 200m & 400m sprints", behind 400m World Record holder Wayde van Niekerk & Michael Norman.[15]
2022
Prior to the U.S. Championships, Kerley competed in three Diamond Leagues: Doha, where he placed second in the 200m; the Prefontaine Classic, where he placed second in the 100m; and at the Rome Golden Gala, where he won the 100m.
At the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Kerley won the 100m in 9.77 seconds and placed third in the 200m in 19.83 seconds. Kerley ran 9.76 seconds, a personal best, in the semi-final.[16]
While competing in the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Kerley won his maiden individual World Championship gold medal in the 100m.[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] He was knocked out of the 200m in the semi-final.
2023
Kerley enjoyed a strong start to his 2023 season, taking home wins in the Doha, Rabat, and Florence Diamond Leagues.[19] At the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Kerley contested only the 200m as he received a bye to the 2023 World Championships as the 2022 World Champion in the 100m. He placed fourth in the final of the 200m to Erriyon Knighton, Kenny Bednarek, and Courtney Lindsey. Later in July, he placed second in the Silesia Diamond League 100m.
Kerley failed to advance from his semi-final of the 100m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. However, he earned gold as a member of the United States 4x100m relay team.
Soon after his third place finish in the Xiamen Diamond League 100m, in September 2023, Kerley announced that he was no longer coached by Alleyne Francique and would be coached by Quincy Watts, the Director of Track and Field at the University of Southern California.[20]
Statistics
Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.[21]
Personal bests
Surface | Event | Time | Venue | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outdoor | 400 meters | 43.64 | Des Moines, 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, 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, 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, United States | March 11, 2017 | Indoor 2017 WL,[22] #7 all-time |
200 meters | 20.58 | Fayetteville, United States | January 27, 2017 | ||
4 × 400 m relay | 3:01.97 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | March 4, 2018 |
International championship results
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[26] |
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, 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 | -0.3 m/s wind |
1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.38 | ||||
2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 3rd | 100 m | 9.81 | +1.0 m/s wind |
Circuit wins and titles
- Diamond League 400 meters champion: 2018
- Diamond League 100 meters champion: 2021
- 2018 (400m): Rome Golden Gala (SB), Birmingham Grand Prix, Zürich Weltklasse
- 2019 (400m): Shanghai Diamond League (SB)
- 2021: Paris Meeting (200m, PB), Brussels Memorial Van Damme (100m), Zürich (100m)
- 2022 (100m): Rome
- World Indoor Tour
National championship results
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 | [29] | |
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][30] | |||
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 | — | [31] | |||
4th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:03.94 | ||||
US Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 27th | 400 m | 46.70 | [32] | |
2017 | NCAA Division I Indoor Championships | College Station, Texas | 1st | 400 m | 44.85 | WL, PB[22] |
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 | [33] | |
2018 | USATF Indoor Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 5th | 400 m | 45.63 | A[34] |
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 | |||
2023 | USATF Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 4th | 200 m | 19.86 | -0.1 m/s wind |
2024 | US Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 3rd | 100 m | 9.88 | +0.4 m/s wind |
400 metres seasonal bests
The two highlighted times are track records (accurate as of August 2024).
Year | Time | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | 46.38 | Mesa, United States | May 16 |
2015 | 47.15 | Albuquerque, United States | March 7 |
2016 | 45.10 | Tempe, United States | April 9 |
2017 | 43.70 | Austin, United States | May 26 |
2018 | 44.33 | Rome, Italy | May 31 |
2019 | 43.64 | Des Moines, 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.[37]
Kerley has a Christian faith and regularly attended church after practice.[38]
Notes
- ^ Qualified for the final, but did not start (DNS) in the final.[23][24]
- ^ Shared with Michael Cherry, Aldrich Bailey, and Vernon Norwood for the United States. Kerley was the first carrier before Cherry.[25]
- ^ Shared with Michael Cherry, Wil London, and Rai Benjamin for the United States. Kerley was the first carrier before Cherry.[27]
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ "KERLEY Fred". Olympics.com. 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ "Top Lists – All time Top lists - Senior Outdoor 400 Metres Men". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Christy Millweard (August 14, 2016). "Taylor track star sets goal for 2020 Olympics". kvue.com. KVUE. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Jon Mulkeen (May 14, 2017). "Kerley flies to 44.09 400m clocking at SEC Championships". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ Dennis Young (May 26, 2017). "WATCH: Fred Kerley Destroys Collegiate 400m Record In 43.70". flotrack.org. FloTrack. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Taylor Dutch (June 5, 2017). "Record-Holders Quincy Watts, Fred Kerley Connect in 400m 'Pain Business'". flotrack.org. FloTrack. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Texas A&M's Fred Kerley qualifies for 400m final at IAAF World Championships". kbtx.com. KBTX. August 6, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Cathal Dennehy (December 23, 2018). "After solid 2018 campaign, Kerley ready to take the next step as Doha approaches". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
- ^ Nick Zaccardi (August 30, 2018). "Noah Lyles matches Usain Bolt feat in Speed Racer socks". nbcsports.com. NBC. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "MPM du 100m pour l'Américain Fred Kerley en 991". L'Équipe. April 26, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "Kerley underlines his 100m credentials". Reuters. May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ @AthleticsWeekly (June 28, 2021). "Fred Kerley is only the third man in..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Kerley makes 'statement' in 100m heat - Johnson". BBC Sport. July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ Fred Kerley delivers 100m 2022 Track and Field World Championships title, July 16, 2022, retrieved July 17, 2022
- ^ "Kerley leads U.S. sweep of 100 meters at worlds". ESPN.com. July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "Fred Kerley". World Athletics.
- ^ "Fred Kerley Announces Coaching Change, Working With Quincy Watts". FloTrack. July 17, 2022.
- ^ Fred Kerley at World Athletics
- ^ a b Jon Mulkeen (March 12, 2017). "COLEMAN SPEEDS TO SPRINT DOUBLE AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "Event 307 Men 200 Meter Dash". tiempodellegada.com. July 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Event 317 Men 200 Meter Dash". tiempodellegada.com. July 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Jason Henderson (March 4, 2018). "Poland smash world indoor 4x400m record". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Stuart Weir (May 12, 2019). "2019 Yokohama Diary: The 4x400 meters relays at the 2019 IAAF World Relays". RunBlogRun. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "4 x 400 Metres Relay Men - Final". IAAF. October 6, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "What To Make Of Fred Kerley Leaving Nike For Asics". Citius Mag. February 22, 2023.
- ^ "2014 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships – Complete Results". usatf.org. USATF. July 6, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "National Junior College Championships – Men's 4 x 400 Relay Preliminaries". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). May 16, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field – Results". usatf.org. USATF. July 10, 2016. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "2017 USATF Championships – 6/22/2017 to 6/25/2017 – Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, Calif. – Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 25, 2017. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "2018 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships – Results". usatf.org. USATF. February 19, 2018. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Fred Kerley at Texas A&M". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Fred Kerley at South Plains". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Fred Kerley, cousin of ex-Jets WR Jeremy Kerley, wins Olympic silver medal". USA Today. August 3, 2021.
- ^ Watta, Evelyn. "Fred Kerley: Top things that you didn't know about the new world champion". Olympics.com.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Fred Kerley at World Athletics
- Fred Kerley at www.USATF.org
- Fred Kerley – Texas A&M profile at TFRRS (Track & Field Results Reporting System)
- Fred Kerley – South Plains profile at TFRRS (Track & Field Results Reporting System)
- Fred Kerley at Team USA (archive March 18, 2023)
- Fred Kerley at Olympics.com
- Fred Kerley at Olympedia