Fred Kerley

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.

Fred Kerley
Kerley at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene
Personal information
Full nameFredrick Lee Kerley
Born (1995-05-07) May 7, 1995
San Antonio , United States
EmployerAsics
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1]
Weight205 lb (93 kg)[1]
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Sprints
College team
Turned proJune 2017
Coached byAlleyne Francique
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking1st (100m, weeks 58)
Personal best(s)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2020 Tokyo100 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Doha4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place2022 Eugene100 m
Gold medal – first place2023 Budapest4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place2017 London4×400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place2019 Doha400 m
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place2018 Birmingham4×400 m relay
Diamond League
Gold medal – first place2018400 m
Gold medal – first place2021100 m
NACAC U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 San Salvador4×100 m relay

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 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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[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 sub-10 in the 100 m 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]

On June 27, 2021, during the 2021 US Olympic Trials 200m final, Kerley ran a 19.90 his first sub-20 in the 200m. With this performance, Fred Kerley becomes the 3rd athlete to join the "Sub 10s, 20s, 44s club for the 100m, 200m & 400m sprints". The other 2 being the 400m World Record holder Wayde van Niekerk & Michael Norman.[15]

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
SurfaceEventTimeVenueDateNotes
Outdoor 400 meters43.64Des Moines, IA, United StatesJuly 27, 2019#8 all-time
200 meters19.76 ANairobi, KenyaSeptember 18, 2021+2.0 m/s wind, #22 all-time
100 meters9.76Eugene, OR, United StatesJune 24, 2022+1.8 m/s, #6 all-time
4 × 400 m relay2:56.69Doha, QatarOctober 6, 20192019 WL
4 × 200 m relay1:21.11Austin, TX, United StatesApril 2, 2016
4 × 100 m relay38.63San Salvador, El SalvadorJuly 16, 2017
Indoor 400 meters44.85College Station, TX, United StatesMarch 11, 2017Indoor 2017 WL,[20] #7 all-time
200 meters20.58Fayetteville, AR, United StatesJanuary 27, 2017
4 × 400 m relay3:01.97Birmingham, United Kingdom43.64March 4, 2018

International championship results
Representing the  United States
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTime
2016NACAC U23 ChampionshipsSan Salvador, El Salvador8th (semis)200 m21.17+0.7 m/s wind, q[note 1]
1st4 × 100 m relay38.63PB
2017World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom7th400 m45.23
2nd4 × 400 m relay2:58.61PB
2018World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom2nd4 × 400 m relay3:01.97#2 all-time[note 2]
2019World RelaysYokohama, JapanDQ4 × 400 m relay—Lane violation[24]
World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar3rd400 m44.17
1st4 × 400 m relay2:56.69WL, PB[note 3]
2021Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan2nd100 m9.84+0.1 m/s wind, PB
2022World ChampionshipsEugene, OR, United States1st100 m9.86-0.1 m/s wind
20th (sf)200 m20.68-0.1 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
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTime
 Representing the South Plains College Texans (2014–2015), the Texas A&M Aggies (2016–2017), and Nike (2018–)
2014NJCAA Division I ChampionshipsMesa, Arizona6th400 m46.84
2nd4 × 400 m relay3:05.86
USATF Junior ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon8th400 m47.49[26]
2015NJCAA Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico2nd400 m47.15SB
2nd4 × 400 m relay3:12.56
NJCAA Division I ChampionshipsHutchinson, Kansas11th400 m47.81
3rd (semis)4 × 400 m relay3:11.75q[note 4][27]
2016NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, Alabama8th4 × 400 m relay3:07.49
NCAA Division I ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon13th400 m45.99
DNF (semi 1)4 × 100 m relay—[28]
4th4 × 400 m relay3:03.94
US Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon27th400 m46.70[29]
2017NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsCollege Station, Texas1st400 m44.85WL, PB[20]
1st4 × 400 m relay3:02.80
NCAA Division I ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon1st400 m44.10
4th4 × 100 m relay38.72SB
1st4 × 400 m relay2:59.98
USATF ChampionshipsSacramento, California1st400 m44.03[30]
2018USATF Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico5th400 m45.63A[31]
2019USATF ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa1st400 m43.64PB
2021US Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon3rd100 m9.86+0.8 m/s wind, PB
4th200 m19.90+0.3 m/s wind, PB
2022USATF ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon1st100 m9.77+1.8 m/s wind
3rd200 m19.83-0.3 m/s wind
  • NCAA results from Track & Field Results Reporting System.[32][33]

400 m seasonal bests
YearTimeVenueDate
201446.38Mesa, AZ, United StatesMay 16
201547.15Albuquerque, NM, United StatesMarch 7
201645.10Tempe, AZ, United StatesApril 9
201743.70Austin, TX, United StatesMay 26
201844.33Rome, ItalyMay 31
201943.64Des Moines, IA, United StatesJuly 27
202144.60Doha, QatarMay 28
202244.47St. George's, GrenadaMarch 5

Personal life

Kerley's older cousin is former NFL wide receiver Jeremy Kerley.[34]

Kerley's has a Christian faith, and regularly attended church after practice.[35]

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. Shared with Michael Cherry, 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. 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. Christy Millweard (August 14, 2016). "Taylor track star sets goal for 2020 Olympics". kvue.com. KVUE. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  5. Jon Mulkeen (May 14, 2017). "Kerley flies to 44.09 400m clocking at SEC Championships". iaaf.org. 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. "Texas A&M's Fred Kerley qualifies for 400m final at IAAF World Championships". kbtx.com. 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. 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.
  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. Jon Mulkeen (March 12, 2017). "COLEMAN SPEEDS TO SPRINT DOUBLE AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". iaaf.org. 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. "4 x 400 Metres Relay Men - Final". IAAF. October 6, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  26. "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.
  27. "National Junior College Championships – Men's 4 x 400 Relay Preliminaries". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). May 16, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  28. "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.
  29. "2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field – Results". usatf.org. USATF. July 10, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  30. "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.
  31. "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.
  32. "Fred Kerley at Texas A&M". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  33. "Fred Kerley at South Plains". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  34. "Fred Kerley, cousin of ex-Jets WR Jeremy Kerley, wins Olympic silver medal". USA Today. August 3, 2021.
  35. Watta, Evelyn. "Fred Kerley: Top things that you didn't know about the new world champion". Olympics.com.
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