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Fred Kerley recently opened up about the challenges of being a black athlete in America. The Olympic medalist highlighted the little media coverage he gets, and spoke about being treated as ‘less than’ other people.
Kerley had been one of the best sprinters Team USA has produced in recent years. The 29-year-old turned pro in 2017, and won a silver at the World Championships in the 4x400m relay later that same year. At the 2019 Championships, he won bronze in the 400m. In 2020, the American switched to the 100m sprint. In the shorter distance, Kerley has won an Olympic silver and bronze, and the 2022 World Championships gold.
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Recently, Fred Kerley claimed that despite his multiple medal-winning performances in major international competitions, he has not received the media coverage he deserves. Speaking on the Pivot Podcast, he highlighted the reality of being a black athlete in America, stating that he often got overlooked in favour of lighter-skinned or white athletes.
“I'm a n***a, they don't really care about putting me on TV. If you go look at 2021 (and) even this past year, everybody got their TV time. But they won't put a person like me on TV because they feel like I'm less than most people. They’d rather have light-skinned brothers, a light-skinned sister or the white person on TV. Or a different sport, but most of us track guys get belittled most of the time,” he said (at 25:37).
Fred Kerley registers disappointing finish at Grand Slam Track
After an impressive 2024 season that saw him win the 100m bronze at the Paris Olympics, Fred Kerley has dealt with a mixed bag of results so far in 2025. He made his season debut on March 22, when he competed at the Trojan Invite at the Loker Track Stadium in Los Angeles.
In his season opener, Kerley clocked a 10.23s in the 100m, clinching the win with ease. A few days later, the American competed in the 4x100m relay at the Texas Relays, taking his second win of the season.
Post this, Kerley headed to Kingston for the inaugural meet of Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track. Competing in the short sprints event group, the Olympic medalist registered a disappointing seventh place finish in the 100m. He put on a better performance in the 200m, clocking 20.39s to finish third.
After his lukewarm performance in Kingston, Fred Kerley will return to action at Grand Slam Track in May, competing at the league's second stop in Miami.
