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Fred Kerley reacted to his 100m seventh-place finish on the first day of Grand Slam Track and expressed confidence for the next race in Kingston, Jamaica. Kerley ran his second 100m race after opening his season at the USC Trojan Invitational on March 22.
Kerley entered the USC Trojan Invitational as one of the podium favorites. Fresh off a 100m bronze finish at the Diamond League finals in 2024, he unfurled his prowess on the track to achieve victory over New Zealand's Eddie Nketia in 10.23s. Continuing his excellence, he ran the final leg of the 4x100m relay at the Texas Relays, clinching the win with his teammates, Lance Lange, Kennedy Lightner, and Demarius Smith.
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He then landed in Jamaica for the debut edition of Grand Slam Track, scheduled for the 100m race on April 4, 2025. He competed in the aforementioned event but finished seventh. Despite the underwhelming result, Kerley's post-race comments brimmed with confidence as he geared up for the 200m.
In an interview with CITIUS Mag after the race, Kerley praised the electrifying Grand Slam Track event, saying:
"I've been wonderful, its been a blessing so I can't complain" (0:06 onwards)
He then reflected on his 100m event and said:
"It's smooth keep on going you got tomorrow."
Talking about how the 29-year-old will achieve this year, he said:
"I feel like running smooth. I know when the time comes, I'll be ready for the next race and next race tomorrow," Kerley reflected.
Fred Kerley earned the 100m bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, adding to his silver medal from the Tokyo event.
Fred Kerley once called out shoe companies for not giving desired treatment to track and field athletes
Fred Kerley was a prominent athlete at the NCAA level, competing with the Texas A&M Aggies in 2016 and 2017. Following his 400m win at the 2017 NCAA Championships, Kerley signed with Nike. After the contract expired in 2022, he joined ASICS in 2023 but parted ways with them at the 2024 NYC Grand Prix, where he was seen wearing Puma spikes.
Currently without a sponsor, Kerley said shoe brands fail to recognize the athletes' talents and focus more on branding themselves. During an episode of the 'Ready Set Go' podcast in October last year, the 29-year-old said (5:57 onwards):
"I don't feel like the shoe companies actually respect us athletes. We're all great in our own ways, no matter if you're at the bottom of the pole or the top at the podium, because every athlete can market themselves in different type of ways, which these companies don't understand. Everybody is great in their own ways, and we are competitive in our own ways. I feel like at the end of the day, the shoes brands don't really respect us, they respect themselves," he said in 'Ready Set Go' podcast.
The Olympian also holds three World Championship gold medals to his name. Kerley won the 100m gold in 2022, the 4x400m relay in 2019, and the 4x100m relay in 2023.
