"I'm American"- Fred Kerley drops truth bomb about not receiving appreciation despite Olympic silver medal

Fred Kerley shed light on the harsh reality of not receiving appreciation despite winning an Olympic silver medal. The American recently competed at Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track.

Amid the ongoing 2025 track season, Kerley appeared on The Pivot Podcast, hosted by NFL stars Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder. He spoke about various areas of his life, including his career at the Olympics. The sprinter competed in the 100m dash in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he clinched a silver medal after clocking 9.84s, while the first and the third positions were claimed by Lamont Marcell Jacobs and Andre de Grasse, respectively.

The Olympian revealed the brutal truth about not receiving appreciation for winning the silver medal, stating that only athletes winning the gold medal are cared about in America. (25:16 onwards)

"What that being said, it's just like, I'm American. They only care about one thing. Like, that bronze to someone else is a gold medal. They get in millions in their houses. I'm from the United States of America. Only one person get the glory. Even when I won the silver in 2021, they ain't care about that silver," said Fred Kerley.

Kerley opened his 2025 season by competing in the 100m dash at the USC Trojan Invitational on March 22.

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Fred Kerley made his feelings known about his troubled childhood

Olympian silver medalist, Kerley- Source: Getty

In the aforementioned podcast, Fred Kerley opened up about having a troubled childhood, as his father and mother had complicated lives. The sprinter revealed that his father went to prison for murder, and then he was adopted by his uncle and aunt, who also raised 20 other children in their home. Reminiscing on this story, he shared the details, saying: (4:31 onwards)

"So my pops went to prison for murder. My mom's still in the streets, so there's dopes and all that stuff. So, definitely, and my aunt and uncle adopted 26 of us, like 23, and a lot of other family members in the house and stuff. So, yes, that's why I'm, like, competitive. Like, you got to win-win situation.."

Fred Kerley had an eventful 2024 season, having won a bronze medal in the 100m dash at the Paris Olympics after registering a time of 9.81s. The 29-year-old wrapped up his last season after competing at the Diamond League finals in Brussels, where he clinched a bronze medal in the 100m dash and secured a fifth-place finish in the 200m.