Fred Kerley is never one to hold back what’s on his mind. The 3x World Championships gold medalist is known for his straightforward statements without caring too much if that lands him in any trouble. With a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 29-year-old may have been handed a defeat by national teammate Noah Lyles, but Kerley isn’t fond of the media sensation that the latter has become.

Competitive banter between Lyles and Kerley isn’t something new. Even after their titillating race for the men’s 100m title in the City of Love, Kerley posited that defeating Lyles could happen if the stars aligned. However, the Texan isn’t fond of how he was sidelined by Netflix to give his colleague more screen time.

In the Ready Set Go podcast from October 24, Kerley noted his displeasure about the Netflix documentary SPRINT. When host Rodney Green asked the Olympian how he felt about the documentary, Fred frowned to assert his dislike of the portrayal of track by Netflix. “It really ain’t show us how they really film us,” Kerley stated flatly. With that, he also noted how showbiz cannot comprehend the sport’s essence and in turn, fails to show the true tenets of what it takes to be an elite sprinter.

“…it’s Hollywood,” said the 2-time Olympic medalist without dancing around the matter. Kerley went on to say, “It’s cool for the sport but it’s really not showing us.” The 2004 Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin also chimed in with his feelings about the show. “I think also it blindsided a lot of the characters,” said the veteran sprinter. Just days ago, Gatlin opined that the upcoming track season would see a whole new avatar of Kerley and that Noah should be cautious about his approach.

“…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,” Gatlin said in a previous episode of the YouTube podcast, underscoring that the Noah Lyles-Fred Kerley rivalry could flare up once again this season and that fans could be in for a titillating treat. But will this season finally be the culmination of the battle of words the two have had over the years?

Fred Kerley doesn’t give Noah Lyles a hall pass

The interaction between Kerley and Lyles at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest was a particularly intense one. The defending champ made his intentions clear ahead of the men’s 100-meter dash. During the pre-race press conference, Kerley said, “I’m Fred Kerley and it’s my title.” But Noah wasn’t having any of it and had his own plans for their clash.

“That’s what they all say until they get beat,” retorted the Virginia native. At the end of the day, Lyles walked away from the tournament as the new 100m world champ, while his colleague failed to book a spot on the podium. They met again at the 2024 Paris Games, where Lyles retained his form and Kerley had to settle for bronze.

However, Fred has been vocal about how Netflix failed to capture the essence of track sports in its documentary. “That show is not about sprinting,” he said, calling SPRINT “a YouTube doc.” But will this season finally see him triumph over Lyles to settle the score once and for all? What do you reckon? Tell us in the comment section below.