When the stakes are high, a sprinter knows there’s no compromising on shoes! And no one has stood their ground better than 2024 100m Olympian Fred Kerley himself! After he was spotted wearing competitor brand PUMA’s spikes at the NYC Grand Prix, his sponsor ASICS didn’t take too well to it, which led to them parting ways. And at the Olympic Trials on Monday, he proudly and comfortably wore his good old Nike spikes! Was Kerley’s move deliberate?

Well, some speculate it was since Kerley posted himself training with PUMA spikes on in a now-deleted Instagram video, captioned, “What’s understood don’t need to be explained.” Others believe there might be another sponsor on the way to support his Olympic dreams. But nothing has been announced yet. So, Fred Kerley reverted to the brand that’s been his lucky bet all along – Nike.

From the 2021 Trials to the 2024 edition, when it comes to trust, Kerley knows Nike is it! The two’s collaborative efforts date back to Kerley’s college days at Texas A&M. So, at the Olympic Trials, Kerley donned an Oakley kit and Nike Air Zoom Maxfly spikes, securing his qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 100m event.

The Maxfly is a great choice for a shoe because of its lightweight and breathable mesh. It also has responsive Zoom X foam technology with a carbon fiber Fly Plate and forefoot Air Zoom Unit, a great combination of traction and stability, which no doubt aided Fred Kerley in making it to the Olympic team heading for Paris. During the 2021 Trials, Fred Kerley was a Nike athlete and had naturally chosen one of their premier racing shoes, the Mamba 3.

Kerley’s changing preferences and choices also show his confidence in himself. He seems certain that, sponsored or not, he will make a mark of his own in whichever meet he attends. At this year’s Trials, the Tokyo silver medalist had a time of 9.88s, finishing just behind Noah Lyles (9.83s) and Kenny Bednarek (9.87s). Christian Coleman, on the other hand, missed out on his second consecutive trial with a 9.93s, crossing the line in 4th. 

Now that Kerley has booked his spot for Paris, the question is if he’ll continue wearing Nike spikes. While only time will tell what happens, let’s look at how this situation arose in the first place. At the NYC Grand Prix, one of the most surprising incidents was Fred Kerley’s DNS in the 100m event. After two slips during the start, he decided to walk away, complaining, “High school block at professional meet.” One of the other surprising things was his PUMA spikes. And his excuse for wearing them.

Having signed a deal with ASICS in 2023, his arrival in a competitor’s spikes raised eyebrows. But he assured that there was nothing to worry about: “I ain’t switch it up. I left my bag at the airport.” But just a few hours later, ASICS released an official statement: “ASICS and Fred Kerley have mutually parted ways, and he is no longer an ASICS-sponsored athlete. We wish him the best in his career.” While the term “mutually” may make it seem like things ended on good terms, it was evident the company didn’t appreciate Kerley wearing PUMA. But it also urged people to consider the other side…

Was Fred Kerley not happy with ASICS? At least, that’s what track and field legend Justin Gatlin thought of.

Justin Gatlin has words of advice for Fred Kerley before the Olympics

After his magnetic performance at the trials, the track and field fans’ and community’s faith is now pinned on Fred Kerley to bring back more medals for the USA as he has done in the past. But it’s not about just any medal. Kerley wants the gold, and he wants to earn it in style. A few weeks ago, the 29-year-old tweeted, “World record next time I touch the 100m.” This was before the NYC Grand Prix. Considering he didn’t race there, his next chance came at the Trials, where he registered 9.88s.

Usain Bolt’s world record is 9.58s, .30s clear of Kerley’s Trials time. That said, given the confidence with which Fred Kerley made this remark, he’s been receiving some backlash. But Justin Gatlin came to the rescue. He said, “I just want him to stay focused. Fred is a great talent. We have seen him run 9.7s like they are 9.9s, so we know he can get the job done. This is the year where nothing else outside of that 100m or 200m matters. Nothing. You get the job done.” 

As for the former ASICS-backed athlete’s sponsorship  situation, Gatlin expressed his concern: “I hope this is like a Kanye West move on his part, that if he is unhappy where he is with ASICS, he can find a loophole in his contract where he can terminate his contract without a lot of ramifications.” Rapper Ye left Nike to partner with Adidas in 2015, along with who he entered the sneaker industry with his Yeezy Boost 750.

That said, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Justin Gatlin’s gold in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Since then, Team USA has failed to achieve that feat again. But maybe this could be the year Kerley breaks that jinx, especially after what he tweeted.