Fred Kerley

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Fred Kerley
2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships (39439538975) (cropped).jpg
Kerley at the 2018 USATF Indoor Championships
Personal information
Full nameFredrick Lee Kerley
Born (1995-05-07) May 7, 1995 (age 26)
Taylor, Texas, United States
EmployerNike
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
Personal best(s)
  • 400 m: 43.64 (Des Moines 2019)
  • 200 m: 19.76 A (Nairobi 2021)
  • 100 m: 9.84 (Tokyo 2021)
Medal record
Men's track and field
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
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
Winner 2018 400 m
Winner 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 track and field sprinter known primarily for competing in the 400 meters distance. 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's personal best time of 43.64 seconds makes him the eighth fastest man in history over 400 m.[2] After the pandemic, Kerley chose to focus on the 100 meters 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; that personal best time makes Kerley the fifteenth fastest man in history over the straightaway sprint.

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

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.

2017 United States Championships and World Championships[]

A few weeks later in June 2017, he 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, Fred 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 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]

Statistics[]

Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.[16]

Personal bests[]

Surface Event Time Venue Date Notes
Outdoor 400 m 43.64 Des Moines, Iowa, US July 27, 2019 #8 all-time
200 m 19.76 A Nairobi, Kenya September 18, 2021 +2.0 m/s wind, t-#22 all-time
100 m 9.84 Tokyo, Japan August 1, 2021 +0.1 m/s wind, t-#15 all-time
4×400 m relay 2:56.69 Doha, Qatar October 6, 2019 2019 WL
4×200 m relay 1:21.11 Austin, Texas, US April 2, 2016
4×100 m relay 38.63 San Salvador, El Salvador July 16, 2017
Indoor 400 m 44.85 College Station, Texas, US March 11, 2017 Indoor 2017 WL,[17] #7 all-time
200 m 20.58 Fayetteville, Arkansas, US January 27, 2017
4×400 m relay 3:01.97 Birmingham, England March 4, 2018

International championship results[]

Representing the  United States
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Notes
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, England 7th 400 m 45.23
2nd 4×400 m relay 2:58.61 PB
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, England 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[21]
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 PB

400 m circuit wins[]

National championship results[]

Representing the South Plains College Texans (2014–2015), the Texas A&M Aggies (2016–2017), and Nike (2018–2021)
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Notes
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 [23]
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][24]
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 — [25]
4th 4×400 m relay 3:03.94
US Olympic Trials Eugene, Oregon 27th 400 m 46.70 [26]
2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships College Station, Texas 1st 400 m 44.85 WL, PB[17]
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 [27]
2018 USATF Indoor Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 5th 400 m 45.63 A[28]
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
  • NCAA results from Track & Field Results Reporting System.[29][30]

400 m seasonal bests[]

Year Time Venue Date
2014 46.38 Mesa, Arizona, US May 16
2015 47.15 Albuquerque, New Mexico, US March 7
2016 45.10 Tempe, Arizona, US April 9
2017 43.70 Austin, Texas, US May 26
2018 44.33 Rome, Italy May 31
2019 43.64 Des Moines, Iowa, US July 27
2021 44.60 Doha, Qatar May 28

Notes[]

  1. ^ Qualified for the final, but did not start (DNS) in the final.[18][19]
  2. ^ Shared with Michael Cherry, Aldrich Bailey, and Vernon Norwood for the United States. Kerley was the first carrier before Cherry.[20]
  3. ^ Shared with Michael Cherry, Wil London, and Rai Benjamin for the United States. Kerley was the first carrier before Cherry.[22]
  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. ^ 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. 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. ^ "ATHLETE PROFILE Fred KERLEY". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Jon Mulkeen (March 12, 2017). "COLEMAN SPEEDS TO SPRINT DOUBLE AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  18. ^ "Event 307 Men 200 Meter Dash". tiempodellegada.com. July 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  19. ^ "Event 317 Men 200 Meter Dash". tiempodellegada.com. July 17, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Jason Henderson (March 4, 2018). "Poland smash world indoor 4x400m record". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  21. ^ Stuart Weir (May 12, 2019). "2019 Yokohama Diary: The 4x400 meters relays at the 2019 IAAF World Relays". RunBlogRun. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  22. ^ "4 x 400 Metres Relay Men - Final". IAAF. October 6, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "National Junior College Championships – Men's 4 x 400 Relay Preliminaries". tfrrs.org. Track & Field Results Reporting System. May 16, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  25. ^ "NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships – Men's 4 x 100 Relay". tfrrs.org. Track & Field Results Reporting System. June 11, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  26. ^ "2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field – Results". usatf.org. USATF. July 10, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "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.
  29. ^ "FRED KERLEY TEXAS A&M". tfrrs.org. Track & Field Results Reporting System. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  30. ^ "FRED KERLEY SOUTH PLAINS". tfrrs.org. Track & Field Results Reporting System. Retrieved April 26, 2021.

External links[]

  • Fred Kerley at World Athletics Edit this at Wikidata
  • Fred Kerley at Track & Field Results Reporting System (Texas A&M)
  • Fred Kerley at Track & Field Results Reporting System (South Plains)
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