“That is Noah’s style; he does it for attention. I don’t do nothin’ for attention.” Fred Kerley famously stated about Noah Lyles on Season 1 of Netflix’s Sprint. The track and field circuit has watched the rivalry for quite some time now. The 29-year-old first clinched the 100m world title at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. However, a year later, the Lyles swooped in and snagged the title for himself in Budapest. Even though they’re compatriots, their constant back and forth has been thrilling to watch. 

Kerley confidently let the world know that he had his sights set on the 100m Olympic title. But the 27-year-old bagged the gold medal at the finals with an incredible photo finish. What happened to the 29-year-old? He had to settle for a third-place finish for yet another Summer Games berth. But the hustle never stops for him. In an October 24 episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green discuss his journey in the French capital and throughout the season. 

The track and field legend commends Fred Kerley for changing how things are done in the track and field circuit. What was he referring to? Open communication. Yep, you heard that right! The Olympian reiterates how it is an essential factor, especially right now. “I got a whole business degree, so I understand everything that’s going on around me and stuff because if I go sit down, I lose money,” he confessed. It may seem like a simple act, but with the amount of rivalries we see in the sport, it truly is refreshing. 

The sprinter touches upon that, “Like at the end of the day with that situation, yeah, we are competitive. But track and field don’t eat once we get done with this sport. How can we eat, and forever eat when we get done with this sport? We don’t got no union or none of that.” He recently helped a fellow athlete get a better contract due to his own experience with negotiations. Gatlin points out how that wouldn’t have been possible without any help from the Olympian, since he didn’t have this during his time. 

However, according to Fred Kerley, it is the need of the hour, especially when the accolades are nice but they don’t help them. “We going back home to shack or something. You know what I’m saying? We eat for life. Like that’s what I feel, like a lot of people at the top just eat while we are a slave to this sport,” he confessed. The Olympian added that this is how the sport will grow. “And a lot of athletes don’t understand, just like, say for instance, if they say, ‘Oh, we need to sit out.’ There’s no such thing as sit out in track and field. If I sit out, that next young cat is going to step up, and then we forget about, or we get blackballed in all the sport.” However, he isn’t the only one who feels this way. 

Noah Lyles has been trying to bring a change in the sport as well. Leading up to the Paris Olympics, the 27-year-old signed a contract extension with Adidas till the 2029 season. However, one of the things that he wishes he could do was share how much his contract was worth, even though he had to sign an NDA. “It’s the same thing why they won’t let you in the job world say [how much you are making] – so they can have the one-up on employees and whatnot,” the sprinter confessed. 

In fact, he even reiterated how his agent told him that keeping contracts secret when the track world started was so some don’t feel bad they weren’t getting paid. “But now we’re getting to the point where it’s like, all right, most of us are getting paid. The sport needs to adjust with it.” The American duo have been at each other’s throats in the past. Yet, they seem to agree on one thing: the track and field sector needs to change. As the dust settles on this season, a track and field legend believes the next season will be all about Fred Kerley. 

With the 2025 season looming upon us, Fred Kerley receives high praise

The world witnessed an exciting battle for the title of the face of the sport in the French capital. But in an October episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green predicted that the 29-year-old would walk away with that title after showcasing his personality and performance this season. “Fred’s a dog,” the track and field legend stated. But here’s why he thinks the Olympian will emerge victorious.

“Fred gonna come with…be saying, you know what I’m gonna run the 400 this year and go out there, be one of the top 400m runners,” Gatlin mentioned, highlighting his determination. Fred Kerley has also impressed the former sprinter with his ability to perform under pressure. He continued, “So if he sticks to the 100 meters, watching how he progressed this season with the lack of traditional training that he had, like he gonna be a monster.” 

According to Justin Gatlin, Noah Lyles might want to reclaim his bread and butter event next season—the 200m. But the 100m Paris Olympic bronze medalist could use this to his advantage and walk away as the all-event sprinter. “And him with a flawed race—even he said it – he had a flawed race.” The 29-year-old might have missed out on the 100m title in 2023. But the competition will be intense next year, and he could emerge victorious. The track and field legend doesn’t believe there is a clear favorite. However, it will be interesting to watch the duo lock heads again.