How Fast Is Fred Kerley? A Look at Team USA Sprinter’s Timings and Records Ahead of the Paris Olympics

Fred Kerley just powered his steps into the finals of the men’s 100m finals. Competing in the third semi-final of the day, Kerley had an uphill battle to overcome. The lanes around him were stacked with names like Kishane Thompson, Ferdinand Omanyala, Zharnel Hughes, Andre de Grasse, and Abdul Hakim Sani Brown. However, once the gun was fired, it was quite a rampage from Kerley. Initially looking a tad slow, Kerley accelerated just in time to nudge way ahead of the competition.

Clocking a time of 9.84s, Kerley will be competing in the finals with his fellow countrymen, Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek. However, the threat of the Jamaicans looms large, as both Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson have recorded the top two timings of the semi-finals. While Seville got 9.81s, Thompson bettered it by running 9.80s. Well, while the finals approach, let’s come back to the scintillating performance put up by Fred Kerley.

His achievement in qualifying as the second-best feels special, as Kerley had to cope with the speed of the two fastest men in 2024, Ferdinand Omanyala and Kishane Thompson. Thus, it is evident that speed is quite on the side of the US sprinter. Kerley, who already won the silver medal in Tokyo, clocked 9.84s. This is the same timing that propelled the Americans to the finals in Paris today.

However, Fred Kerley’s 100m personal best is quite impressive, as he ran 9.76s back in 2022. In order to clinch gold for himself in the finals, Kerley will be eager to replicate his feat from Eugene 2022 in Paris. Apart from the 100m, Fred Kerley also specializes in the 200m and 400m events. His fastest score in the 200m discipline is 19.76s and 43.64s in the 400m. Interestingly, Kerley’s 400m feat makes him the eighth-fastest man in the 400m history. While these stats indicate Fred Kerley has blazing speed, it has also earned him several shining accolades over the years. 

Fred Kerley’s armor of golden feats

Fred Kerley attempted to secure a place in the 2016 Rio Olympics. After failing to qualify in the trials, Kerley came back strongly to clinch the silver medal in Tokyo. However, this was not the only big achievement in Fred Kerley’s decorated career. Back in 2016, Kerley won gold at the NACAC U23 Championships, participating in the 4x100m relay. 

Kerley then went on to win the 100m and 400m gold medals in the 2021 and 2018 Diamond League, respectively. Competing at the 2018 World Indoor Championships, Kerley clinched silver in the 4x100m relay. His peak form, however, came during the 2022–23 season, when Fred Kerley won back-to-back World Championship gold medals in Eugene and Budapest, adding to his 2019 gold from Doha. 

Thus, with eyes firmly set on the gold medal, Fred Kerley will look to replicate his personal best performance. And if he manages to do so, Kerley will not only have his name etched in Olympic history but will also become immortal in track and field folklore.