Fred Kerley does not fail to amaze his fans. On Sunday (June 23), he came out of the blue, shaving 0.15 seconds from his season’s best timing to find a place in the final 100m lineup, bound for the Paris Olympics. Furthermore, he achieved this feat while sprinting in Nike’s spikes for the first time this season. However, this was not the end of his streak of surprises from him. 

While trying out new spikes and gears, Fred Kerley also utilized his new coach’s suggestions on the Hayward Field on Sunday. Ultimately, that could surely be praised, as those suggestions paved the difference between him and others in achieving the berth. The 29-year-old sprinter does not hold other thoughts on that. Rather, his post-match statements justify the changes that once faced criticism. 

Fred Kerley speaks about the need for the changes 

In the post-match press conference on Sunday, Fred Kerley faced the question of his abrupt changing of coaches last year. Notably, in September, Fred joined Quincy Watts’ training facility for the upcoming seasons. Before coming to that fold, the Texas native had parted ways with Alleyne Francique, his long-time trainer. In the Paris Olympics season, such a sudden decision was bound to raise eyebrows. 

Furthermore, he left someone in Alleyne who once led him to get the Tokyo Olympic silver medal in the 100m event. But yesterday, Fred wore a calm demeanor and justified that decision by claiming, “Everything comes to an end”. A few more words also followed in supporting his deeds. The three-time world champion describes his move to shift under Quincy Watts’ tutelage as the ‘beginning’.

“This was my beginning to the end on to something upward for my next cycle,” he elaborated without pausing. The ‘next cycle’ he talked about holds the timeline of the Paris Olympics and the 2028 Olympics in LA. That displays his confidence in himself. However, last year, he faced a lack of it, and allegedly that led him to leave Alleyne Francique’s coaching facility in Grenada. 

The promptness of moments enforces the changes

Alleyne Francique remained the prime proponent who brought Fred Kerley in the 100m dash event before the Tokyo Olympics. Subsequently, the mentor was dead sure about his protégé’s success in the short event. Such an enormous confidence once drove him to say, “Coaching him to win a medal is easy. But the time has come where we have to think of records. Either breaking the American record or trying to attack the world record.”

Under his training, Kerley achieved several titles, such as the World Championship title, in 2022, but a record was hard to come by. However, the flow of titles faced an unforeseen shortage in mid-2023. In that timeline, Fred Kerley failed to defend his World Championship crown. Additionally, he missed the top podium finish in the USA Championships and Xiamen Diamond League. In the next turn, he changed his camp and went to California to train under Quincy Watts.

Surprisingly, at the NCAA level, Kerley had broken Quincy’s 25-year-old 400m records. So, a relationship that began amid challenges was expected to result in the creation of many more records in the future and Fred Kerley is looking for that. In this season, before coming to the US trials, his performances had not been that great. But on Sunday, he proved his mettle once again. Now, a chance of making a record might not be a large expectation. Would it be?