Before the Paris Olympics, Fredrick Lee ‘Fred’ Kerley had not been in stellar form. He was far from his personal best (9.76) in the 100m sprint. Additionally, the issue with his sponsor, ASICS, landed him in hot water. His decision to go with the Nike spikes, despite having a deal with ASICS, didn’t help his cause. Instead, the brand broke the ties with him, making him sponsorless in the middle of the Olympic season. But did those events put a scratch on his confidence? Never. Rather, in May this year, he tweeted, “World record next time I touch the 100m.” The world record did not come afterward. But something memorable happened. 

At the Paris Olympics, Kerley achieved his second Olympic medal in the 100m event. He rose like the mythological Phoenix bird from his ashes and proved the naysayers wrong. Now, his achievement has found its flowers from an Olympic veteran. 

Fred Kerley leaves an indelible impression on a track legend 

Against the backdrop of Athlos NYC 2024, Fred Kerley was scheduled to meet with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green for a tête-à-tête. However, securing the opportunity to meet Kerley during his off-season wasn’t easy for Gatlin. He had to wait several months to finalize the date and time. Still, the former Olympic champion remained hopeful about eventually sitting down with Kerley. Notably, Gatlin was visibly excited during their meeting. In fact, in one of the behind-the-scenes videos uploaded to his YouTube channel, Gatlin can be seen suggesting several titles for Fred.

He ultimately said, “You the killer boogey man, whatever you want to call him, man, hey, good dude, man, really good dude man.” Meanwhile, his colleague Rodney Green supported him from behind for his comments on Fred. But meeting with a phenomenal sprinter away from the track is not new for the duo. So what made the Texan special? Gatlin had the answer. 

On a further note, the four-time world champion claimed, “He [Fred Kerley] sees what the sport is, how the sport is set up and he knows that you got to be successful outside the sport, to be successful in life.” According to Gatlin, such qualities are rare these days. However, coming from a humble background, Fred Kerley places great value on life beyond sports. This perspective likely influenced his decision to assist Mondo Duplantis before the latter’s race against Karsten Warholm or attend Athlos NYC 2024, the first women-only track competition, even though Kerley had no direct involvement in either event. His commitment to participating, despite having nothing to do, may explain Gatlin’s high praise for him. Kerley has also shared insights into his life and upbringing on several occasions.

A childhood full of pebbles teaches a lot more things 

Because of the issues brought by the sponsorship dilemma, Fred Kerley was on the verge of losing match practice at a crucial time. Thus, it could have landed him in a compromised situation before the Paris Olympics. But the 29-year-old remained unfazed. Additionally, when he was asked about feeling any lack of confidence because of the mentioned reasons, he claimed, “Being around 26 people in one house, you should know.” That reveals a lot of things. 

Since childhood, the star has had a tumultuous relationship with his parents. In contrast, his aunt, Virginia—affectionately known as Meme—has played the role of guardian angel in his life. She adopted Kerley when he was just 2 years old, and her home in Taylor, Texas, became his sanctuary. He grew up there alongside his 12 cousins and many others. In later life, Fred Kerley had several opportunities to distance himself from his challenging roots, but he chose to focus on winning his battles instead. This time in the Paris Olympics, he had several demons. Yet in the end, Kerley stood on the podium while many lost their wars. Ultimately, his life embodies the lesson of “turning dreams into reality, one hustle at a time.” Now, he is earning flowers for having such a character.