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After slipping out of his blocks twice, Fred Kerley said he chose not to run the 100m race at the USATF NYC Grand Prix. From what looked like a false start, Kerley defended saying that it didn't lead to a disqualification.
In 2024, Kerley opened at the Hurricane Invitational, running the 100m in 10.03s. He further competed at the Xiamen and Shanghai Diamond League, settling for second with 10.17s and third with 10.11s, respectively. Due to an injury, he ruled himself out of the Oslo Diamond League roster.
Before the Paris Olympics, Kerley looked to secure the gold podium at the USATF NYC Grand Prix. However, he dramatically walked out of the 100m starting line after slipping out of the starting blocks twice. Though the first time was a slip, it looked like Fred Kerley had a false start the second time.
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However, according to his statement, he was not disqualified. Instead, he chose to walk out of the race himself. In an interview clip posted by CITIUS Mag founder Chris Chavez, Kerley said that one of his pads was broken and when he asked for a replacement, it wasn't attended to. So, he couldn't risk his safety for the third time.
"As a veteran, they was just taking too long. I was asking them a question for some new blocks. One of my pads was broken. I slipped the first time and then I slipped the second time. It was not about to happen a third time."
Fred Kerley further confirmed:
"No, I was not DQ'ed."
Keeping the bigger meet and safety in mind, Kerley said:
"We getting cold. This is a small meet, the bigger meet in two weeks."
In another of his statements, the 2022 100m world champion alleged the meet for placing elementary blocks in place of professional ones.
"First of all, them blocks look like elementary blocks. We at a professional meet. So you should have professional blocks with professional sensors on them."
"World record next time I touch the 100m" - Fred Kerley on his Olympic year goals
Fred Kerley ran the 100m in 9.76s in 2022, which marked his personal best. This season, his best time was 10.03s, not close to his PB. However, his confident self felt like he could touch Usain Bolt's 100m mark.
He had tweeted:
"World record next time I touch the 100m.”
The track world questioned his ability and disregarded his claim to crossing the finish line in 9.58s or less. But Justin Gatlin, the four-time world champion, took the matter in a positive light and said:
"That’s going to help him in his training and get stronger and get better.”
The next event for Fred Kerley is the US Olympic Track and Field Trials, set to take place in just two weeks.
