"They gave Noah Lyles that time but anyways" - Fred Kerley ready for a 1v1 race against the Olympic champion over 150m

Noah Lyles is the fastest runner active over the 150m distance, second fastest in history behind Usain Bolt, but Fred Kerley isn't averse to a 1v1 race against the Olympic champion. The former world champion also raised eyebrows over Lyles' personal best in the distance, 14.41s, which he ran earlier this season.

Kerley, who was predominantly a 400m sprinter before transitioning to the 100m in 2020, has shared a long-standing rivalry with Lyles. The two sprinters have regularly competed against each other but the head-to-head record between the two over 100m is dominated by Kerley 4-2.

However, over the 200m, Kerley has never beaten Lyles in the five races they have run together, which sets a perfect clash between the two over the 150m distance.

Speaking with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green on the "Ready Set Go" podcast, Kerley expressed interest in 1v1 clashes, adding that it was a good catalyst for the sport's growth. He said,

"I feel like 1v1 is actually good for the sport" [1:04:00].

"A lot of head busters talk big because they get lucky in one race, but if you had World Athletics actually organizing these 1v1s, you could look at the stats. I could show you how many times I beat you, and you could show how many times you beat me."

Kerley had a straightforward response to a question about his thoughts on running 1v1 against Noah Lyles over the 150. He said,

"Of course."

Taking a dig at Lyles' personal best of 14.41s in the distance, he added:

"They gave him that time but anyways."

Compared to Lyles, Kerley hasn't run over the 150m distance as frequently as Lyles, and while it is surely going to be a close contest, the American record holder in the 150m and the 200m will always remain a favorite.

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"They show us as villains" - Fred Kerley not impressed with his portrayal in Netflix's SPRINT

Silesia Diamond League Chorzow 2024 - Fred Kerley in action (Source: Getty)

Fred Kerley expressed his dissatisfaction with Netflix's SPRINT docuseries, which largely covered Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson's journeys at the 2023 World Championships. While Fred Kerley was also featured in the series, he believes he was portrayed as a "villain." He said,

"They really ain’t show us how they really filmed us. This s*** is Hollywood. They show us a villains. They cut and mix pieces together that are really not supposed to mix together" [49:30 onwards].

The 2022 World Champion also criticized the producers for not paying any money to the sprinters featured in the series.

"We ain’t getting no money for this s***. Like I said, we slaves to these people... They making money off of us, and we ain’t getting no money from it."

The first part of the series was released before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics while the second part will premiere on November 13.