"Lost my soul a few times this year" - Fred Kerley reflects on his rollercoaster 2024 season

American track and field Olympian Fred Kerley recently shared his views on a bittersweet 2024 season during which he experienced both victories and setbacks. Kerley won a bronze medal at this year's Paris Olympics.

The 29-year-old participated in the second Olympic Games of his career this year in Paris, where he was up against a formidable lineup in the 100m event. His opponents included Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, and Letsile Tebogo, among others.

Despite the fierce competition, Kerley managed to clock 9.81 seconds, finishing in third place. The race finished was historic, as it marked the first time in Olympic history that every runner clocked a sub-10 finish.

Following the 100m event, Kerley, along with Kenny Bednarek, Christian Coleman, and Kyree King, faced disappointment in the 4x100m relay, where the American team was disqualified for an out-of-zone baton exchange.

Besides the 100m bronze at the Olympics, Kerley placed third at the USATF 100m finals, finished second in the 100m event at the Xiamen Diamond League, and came third at the Shanghai Diamond League meet. Reflecting on his 2024 seaaon, Kerley shared a note on his X hadle (formerly Twitter), writing:

"Lost my soul a few time this year. Still standing stronger than ever. You can’t stop God blessing."

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"What motivates me is coming from what I come from" - When Fred Kerley shared what keeps him going

Fred Kerley at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Image via Getty)

Fred Kerley faced significant challenges during his childhood as he was adopted by his aunt following his father's imprisonment and mother's absence.

In an interview with Olympics.com in May 2023, the two-time Olympic medalist mentioned that he used to share one bedroom with 12 other kids and used to sleep on pallets.

"Me and my brother and sisters got adopted by my aunt Virginia," he said. "We had one bedroom. There were 13 of us in one bedroom. We were on the pallet."

He added:

"At the end of the day, we all had fun, we enjoyed ourselves and are doing great things right now," he said. "What motivates me is coming from what I come from and not being in the same predicament. Keep on accomplishing great things. You don’t want to be in the same position as you were when you were younger."

Kerley wrapped up his 2024 season after finishing third in the 100m event at the Diamond League finals in Brussels.