Fred Kerley has been removed from his greatest this 12 months, however that is not more likely to dent his confidence.
The US sprinter, who received 100 metre silver on the 2020 Olympics and bronze in Paris final 12 months, has beforehand been vocal in his perception that he’ll in the future beat Usain Bolt’s 9.58 second world document.
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Kerley received his 2025 season underway eventually month’s USC Tojan Invitational, the place he clocked a profitable effort of 10.23 within the closing.
Although this was sufficient to say victory on the day, it ranked a lowly thirty eighth within the self-discipline’s quickest instances this 12 months.
This can be a far cry from the 9.76 private greatest Kerley clocked in 2022, which places him sixth on the all-time listing of quickest 100m sprinters.
And the American’s previous performances within the occasion have definitely given him loads of confidence he can climb even additional up on this leaderboard.
A lot so actually, that in Could 2024 he boldly tweeted: “World document subsequent time I contact the 100m.”
However issues did not fairly go to plan for the monitor star when he subsequent lined up on the New York Metropolis Grand Prix a month later.
After drawing consideration to himself within the heat up when he was noticed carrying Puma spikes, regardless of being signed with Asics on the time, Kerley then appeared to slide out of the blocks twice.
Though he was not disqualified for this, he selected to not begin the race, as an alternative leaving the monitor after an intense dialogue with officers.
Kerley later parted firm with Asics following the footwear mishap, with Bolt’s 100m document remaining intact.
Regardless of his ill-fated prediction nonetheless, the 29-year-old refused to again down from his feedback when quizzed on them months later.
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Showing the Prepared Set Go podcast in October, Kerley doubled down on his Bolt declare: “That was not placing folks on discover.
“The following time I stepped on the monitor, it was presupposed to be a world document as a result of what I did in coaching, it was silly.
“So for those who translate that to the monitor meet, it might have been good. However New York occurred, the best way it is presupposed to, for my success.
“That’s how I knew I used to be getting again to Fred Kerley.”
And this wasn’t the one time Kerley has vowed to beat the Jamaican Olympic legend’s unmatched time, set on the 2009 World Championships.
A 12 months after being pipped to gold on the Tokyo 2020 video games, he stated of the 15-year document to the Unbiased: “It’s very real looking.
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Additionally boasting the tenth-fastest 400m time in historical past, the Texan boldly backed himself to problem Wayde van Niekerk’s world document.
He added: “The whole lot is real looking; Bolt, Wayde [Van Niekerk], and all the American greats. They put the bar up there for us to do it.
“If they will do it, then why not us? I’ve received to proceed to coach proper, eat proper, sleep proper. These small issues will assist me to get to the larger targets down the road. The information and that double gold.”
Kerley has one other likelihood to problem Bolt’s document this weekend, as he returns to sprinting motion on the inaugural Grand Slam Monitor on Friday.
Launched by four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson, the profitable new league will see the world’s elite runners compete in a never-before-seen format.
Competing in each the 100m and 200m, Kerley will face off towards Jamaica’s Indirect Seville and Ackeem Blake, in addition to the Paris 2024 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek.