American sprint star Fred Kerley has sent a powerful message to his competitors, declaring his unwavering determination to clinch gold in the 100m at the Paris Olympic Games this August.
Despite a tumultuous season, Kerley has secured his place in the 100m event and is set on bringing home the gold for the U.S., a feat not achieved since 2004.
His season has seen significant challenges, including a highly publicized split with his spikes supplier Asics after being seen wearing Nike spikes at a meet. This change coincided with unexpectedly poor performances in the Suzhou and Xiamen Diamond League events.
However, Kerley managed to qualify third in the USATF trials behind Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek. Lyles won the race with a time of 9.82, while Bednarek and Kerley finished second and third with times of 9.87 and 9.88, respectively.
Qualifying as the best loser places him as an underdog, but Kerley dismisses any doubts about his potential. “To tell you the truth, I am not sizing up nobody because I believe I am the best, as simple as that,” Kerley told Citius Mag.
The 2020 Olympic silver medallist added: “I am trying to duplicate 9.7 or faster. I think I took a year off track and field, and I am barely getting back around to my old self. It is a clean slate now.
