This summer, Fred Kerley has appeared to be someone who can tick many boxes. Before the Paris Olympics, he experienced a low because of a rough patch with his track sponsor. Later, he entered the Olympics with a new one, dismissing a huge contract with the previous one. And who does not know his achievement in the bustling French metropolis? In the 100-meter event, he came from behind and took third place. However, his form had not seemed to be fitting to earn that position beforehand. However, Kerley displayed personal brilliance at the grandest stage. But did the victory describe him completely? No, it didn’t. 

In the same Olympics, the track and field world witnessed Letsile Tebogo’s meteoric rise. In the men’s 100m final, the Motswana athlete missed the podium. But in the 200m, he picked up the gold, defeating the favorite Noah Lyles and battle-hardened Kenny Bednarek. He achieved this milestone despite going through a huge personal loss. Notably, in May this year, Tebogo lost his mother, Seratiwa, to a brief illness. The blow was unbelievable. Especially being a mother, Seratiwa had always accompanied her son on the rocky road of athletics in attaining fame. After her, Tebogo lost his biggest supporting voice. Such a loss is bound to take a toll on the individual. Yet, Letsile didn’t lose his ground. What helped him to remain motivated? 

First, Letsile Tebogo’s brave urge to fulfill his mother’s wish helped him to topple barricades in Paris. Apart from that, he found solace in Fred Kerley’s presence beside him all along. In an interaction, he revealed, “Fred was there for me during my hard times.” According to Fred, he was along with Tebogo, playing his role as a colleague in the same sport. That speaks a lot regarding Kerley’s personality. 

In an interaction with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green, the 29-year-old shared a few more things, mentioning his character. In the tête-à-tête, Fred threw his weight behind the argument, defending relationships with other track and field competitors. With that, he laid out, “You can’t burn bridges just because you competing against the next person.” Lines like that satisfied both Gatlin and Green as they both nodded in agreement. However, they had a few more reasons to find positivity in Kerley’s voice. 

While interacting with Fred in the backstage of Athlos NYC 2024, Green asked him about his motivation to help out his other athletes. In his response, the former world champion mentioned that he does not count the track rivalry away from the contests. Rather, he feels to stand beside any athlete as a human being. “I feel like every other athlete try to lift up every other athlete because you never know when I probably need you or [you] need [me],” he added. Moreover, Fred admits to having two sides to him. 

Per him, one of his sides prompts him to stay competitive on the track. Another side helps him to stand beside individuals who are in need. His words may promote him as possessing two conflicting characters. But the Olympian doesn’t show the characters to someone at the same time. He applies those according to the situation. Nonetheless, these traits have already earned Fred Kerley flowers from the track and field community. 

Fred Kerley is someone who attends everyone’s party 

After the Paris Olympics, Fred Kerley showed up in multiple colors. In Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos NYC 2024, he appeared as an audience member, supporting the cause of the occasion. It was the first women-only track contest and Kerley aligned himself with the stunning mission. In addition, he promoted a unique theme at a special event that was organized by Red Bull, Puma, and Weltklasse Zurich.

The aforementioned event panned out to be a wholesome arrangement where Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm faced each other in a neutral event. Mastering their own trademark events, both athletes wanted to showcase the bonding in the sport and the marketing aspect of track and field sports. In the middle of this, Fred Kerley made his entry. The two-time Olympic medalist was seen teaching the pole vaulter, Duplantis, one of two things about setting up the blocks before the race. The track and field enthusiasts, including Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green, witnessed the scene.

In their podcast, the veteran duo celebrated such bonding taking place along the fence line. Gatlin, especially, commented, “Shout out to them, man, that’s what a real community is,” while showering praise over such scenes. Now, again, the four-time world champion has found himself fanning over Kerley’s personality. Shouldn’t those be counted as achievements? What do you think?