Fred Kerley Leaves ASICS: Were Inadequate Spikes the Reason for Track & Field Star’s Switch?

June 9 (Sunday) remained so eventful for Fred Kerley. The American sprinter had started the day with a deep wish of making a ‘world record in 100m’ as he reached Icahn Stadium. However, as he left the stadium infuriated, Fred Kerley already parted ways with his sponsor ASICS and officially had been disqualified from the penultimate 100m event in the NYC Grand Prix. And all this happened because of one issue – the ‘problematic’ spikes from ASICS that earned so many hard words from the sprinter himself on Sunday. 

In his argument with the officials, Fred Kerley repeatedly said that he had shaken on his new Puma spikes. But the issue persisted a second time, leading to his disqualification. Later, in his post-race interview, Kerley explained that he had left his sponsored ASICS spikes at the airport in his bag and that those spikes were ‘elementary,’ not suitable for a competitive race. This situation forced him to wear Puma spikes for the event. However, a track and field connoisseur had certain observations to add to the fiasco.

Is it the first time Fred Kerley has had an issue with ASICS spikes? 

The track and field raconteur Raes Take did a live podcast on his YouTube channel regarding the issue, mainly contributing to Fred Kerley’s experience with ASICS spikes. Nurturing a close bond with the 29-year-old American sprinter, Raes said that Fred had once shown him a pair of ASICS spikes given to him that were broken after his first practice. Eventually, Raes Take validated Fred’s need to have suitable spikes by saying “the spikes supposed to be a pair of spikes that they made for him, beneficial for him.” But the need was never settled with ASICS. 

Rather, the much-discussed deal between Fred Kerley and ASICS had shown new promise on the horizon. It was one of the rare moments when an American athlete left Nike’s camp to join a newcomer. The expectation was that some innovation would come to ASICS spikes with an Olympic medalist using the products. A custom-made spike for Fred Kerley was not out of the question. However, from February 2023 to June 2024, nothing significant materialized. Raes Take described the situation as unique.

Siding with Fred Kerley, he introspected a viewpoint claiming, “I would do support your company. In return for you giving me what I need to train, right? That’s what we got on paper.” But in reality, something else was there. Raes Take continued, “I asked you to fix my shoe. Did you fix it? No, okay, well, guess what? I’m gone. That’s a fair. That’s a business.” If that was the ending, Fred Kerley is now moving to the Puma camp. But would such a changeover help the sprinter with the trials just weeks away?  

Puma – would it suffice the need? 

In his conversation, Raes Take backed the custom-made Nike shoes that have recently earned a lot of praise from athletes. Patrick Valby expressed satisfaction with the spikes. However, Fred Kerley has jumped to Puma as his next go-to brand. Previously, ASICS’ stiff spike plate faced serious competition from Nike’s spike plate, which felt much more suitable for sprinters. On the other hand, the ASICS shoes have been praised for being “a middle-distance spike.” Thus, a fast sprinter like Fred Kerley could never fully utilize those shoes. However, Puma has experience working with sprinters.

In 2022, the German sporting company signed a deal with NCAA phenom Abby Steiner. The 200m prospect in the women’s category has become one of the most exciting names in the upcoming US Olympic trials, scheduled in Oregon. Additionally, Fred Kerley might find a solution with the inclusion of NITRO foam in Puma’s shoes.

The nitrogen gas mixture inside the NITRO foam technology provides extra propulsion with each step. Molly Seidel experienced the benefits of this technology during her medal-winning performance in the Tokyo Olympics while wearing the Elite model. Fred Kerley will have limited time to acclimate to the new shoes, and the stakes are high.