Fred Kerley shares a bold message as he looks back on his collegiate career as a quarter-miler

Fred Kerley is an excellent 100m sprinter, with Olympic medals and a World Championships gold to prove his prowess. However, before the American became one of the nation's most dominant sprinters, he was a 400m runner, and he recently revisited his career in the event by sharing a piece of advice for fans.

While he was originally a 400m athlete, Kerley decided to switch to the sprints ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, and the move paid off. In the 100m distance, the 29-year-old won silver at the 2020 Games, followed it up with a World Championships gold in 2022, and an Olympic bronze in 2024.

Recently, an X user posted their goals as a long jump athlete on the platform, explaining that if they didn't have an opportunity at a D1 college, they'd happily size down, writing,

“If I don't go D1, I'm striving for D2. If I don't go D2, I'm striving for D3. If I don't go D3, I'm striving for NAIA. If i don’t go JC, I’m striving to be a Walk-On. I just wanna jump.”

Fred Kerley chimed into this conversation with a motivational message for the fan, revealing that he was a walk-on during his collegiate career before he went on to become one of NCAA's most dominant runners in the distance.

“I was a walk-on. I am the greatest 400m that grace the ncaa rankings.”

Fred Kerley’s 400m collegiate career

Fred Kerley at the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship - Source: Getty

Fred Kerley began his collegiate career at the South Plains College Texans, running for them between 2013 and 2015, before moving to Texas A&M. Kerley excelled as part of the Aggies, racking up multiple national championships and records.

After joining the college, the American gave a dominating performance in 2017, starting with his campaign at the SEC All Conference where he won both the outdoor 400m and the outdoor 4x400m.

He then went on to impress at the NCAA Outdoor West Regionals. He claimed gold in the 400m and 4x400m while settling for silver in the 4x100m. The runner wrapped up his year with National Championships in the 400 and 4x400m, both indoors and outdoors. During his time at Texas A&M, Kerley ran a 43.70s, which was a new NCAA record then.

Fred Kerley turned pro after his 2017 season with the Aggies. He experienced similar levels of success in the 400m on the global stage, winning a World Championships silver and gold in the 4x400m relay, as well as a bronze in the individual 400m. He was also crowned the Diamond League champion of the event in 2018.