- Status: Active
- Height: 191 cm (6’3”)
- Weight: ~93 kg (205 lbs)
- Age: 30
- Birthday: May 7, 1995
- Nationality: American
- Events: 100m, 200m, 400m
- Personal Bests:
- 100m: 9.76 seconds
- 200m: 19.76 seconds
- 400m: 43.64 seconds
Fred Kerley Honours
- 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 100 meters
- 2024 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 100 meters
- 2022 World Athletics Champion in the 100 meters
- 2023 World Athletics Champion in the 4×100 meters
- 2019 World Athletics Champion in the 4×400 meters
- 2017 World Athletics Silver in the 4×400 meters
- 2019 World Athletics Bronze in the 400 meters
Fred Kerley Career
Fred Kerley has been one of the most decorated American sprinters in track and field over the past ten years.
Kerley went to high school in College Station, Texas. After graduating, he attended South Plains and eventually transferred to Texas A&M.
Kerley’s first international success came in 2016, when he anchored the American 4 x 100-meter team at the NACAC Under-23 Championships and won gold.
The next year, in March 2017, he won the NCAA Division I Championships in the 400-meter and ran the fastest time of the year so far at 44.85 seconds.
In May, he nearly broke the NCAA record when he ran 44.09 s at the Southeastern Conference Championships without running hard through the line. A few weeks later he managed to break the record with a time of 43.70 s. The previous record of 44.00 seconds was set by former Olympic champion Quincy Watts nearly 25 years before.
He won the 400 and and the 4 × 400 at the NCAA championships in June.
Professional Career
Kerley turned pro in 2017, signing a contract with Nike. Within a few weeks, he started his professional career by winning the 400 at the National Championships with a time of 44.03 seconds. This finish qualified him to represent the United States in the 400 and the 4 x 400 relay at the World Championships.
After a disappointing finish in the individual 400 at the World Championships, he went on to help his 4 x 400 relay team capture silver behind Trinidad and Tobago.
The next season, Kerley trained with the Phoenix club Altis and coach Kevin Tyler. He won the Roma Golden Gala Diamond League event at the end of May with a time of 44.33 seconds and the Diamond League trophy for the men’s 400 at the circuit final in Zurich. After the season, he went back to Texas A&M to train with his old coach, Alleyne Francique.
Kerley saw continued success in 2019. He won several world-class meetings such as the Shanghai Diamond League and the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica. He also went on to run the seventh fastest time ever in the 400 with a new personal best of 43.64 seconds.
Kerley won his first individual World Championship medal with a time of 44.17 seconds in the 400 meters in Doha.
Post-Covid Pandemic
The 2020 season was mostly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Olympic Games were moved to 2021. Kerley shifted his focus on the shorter 100 to work on his speed in hopes that it would help him reduce his time in the 400.
He broke the 10-second barrier for the first time in late April in Miami, running 9.91 seconds. Kerley’s transition to the shorter sprints paid off. He became the third athlete in history to break 10 seconds, 20 seconds, and 44 seconds in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters respectively. The only other men to manage this feat are the 400 meters world record holder Wayde van Niekerk and Michael Norman.
Kerley went on to win the silver medal in the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, only finishing behind Italy’s Marcell Jacobs. After the Olympics, he lowered his personal best in the 200 meters to 19.79 seconds in his win at the Paris Diamond League. He would run 19.76 seconds in September at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi.
Continued Success
Kerley would run his 100 times in 2022. At the US Outdoor Championships, he won the event with a time of 9.77 seconds and a personal best of 9.76 seconds in the semi-finals.
The gold medal that had eluded him the previous season at the Olympic Games was finally his as he won his first World Championship gold medal in the 100. His time of 9.86 seconds narrowly put him in front of his teammate Marvin Bracy. Trayvon Bromell would get third, sweeping the podium for the Americans.
He continued to have success the next season, taking home victories in the 100 in several Diamond League and international events. He would fail to make it past the semi-finals at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, but he would take home another gold medal later in the competition as part of the men’s 4 x 100 team.
At the end of the season, he switched coaches to Quincy Watts, who was the Director of Track and Field at the University of Southern California and the former Olympic Champion in the 400.
2024 and Onwards
In May, Kerley released a Tweet where he announced, “World Record next time I touch the 100m.” At his next 100-meter race, at the New York City Grand Prix, he had to forfeit due to apparent faulty starting blocks.
At the Olympic Trials, he would finish third in the 100 meters behind Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek. He would capture a bronze at the Olympic Games in Paris with a time of 9.81 seconds behind only Kishane Thompson and Noah Lyles.
Legal issues
Kerley had a number of legal troubles in 2024 and 2025, being arrested three times, although his law team claimed that he’s innocent of all accounts.
In May 2024, he was charged with domestic battery against his wife.
On January 2, 2025, a confrontation in Miami Beach between Kerley and a police officer escalated into a shoving match. The confrontation started when Kerley tried to reach his vehicle while police were investigating a crime scene for an unrelated crime. He was charged with battery, resisting an officer, and disorderly conduct.
In May 2025, Kerley was arrested once again at the meet hotel ahead of the Grand Slam Miami competition and charged with battery for allegedly punching former girlfriend and fellow athlete Alaysha Johnson.
In a statement on his social media, he wrote:
“While there was a physical altercation, my arrest was not due to any criminal act,” Kerley wrote in a statement posted on his social media accounts.
“I chose not to speak to law enforcement without my attorney, and for that reason alone, I was booked … I remain fully committed to clearing my name and cooperating with appropriate parties to resolve it.
Personal Life and Other Facts
Kerley’s older cousin, Jeremy Kerley, is a former NFL wide receiver.
At the time of writing, Kerley’s personal best of 43.64 seconds in the 400 meters makes him the tenth fastest man of all time at this distance. His personal best of 9.76 seconds ties him for the sixth fastest man of all time in the event.
His best of 19.76 in the 200 ranks him 28 all time.
FAQS
Who is Fred Kerley’s Wife?
Fred Kerley’s wife is Angelica Kerley. In an interview with CBS News Miami, she claimed to have asked for a divorce multiple times after the alleged physical altercation. On the incident, she was quoted in her CBS interview as saying:
“All I remember [is] trying to get up and he tries to grab my phone again, so I scoot it under me and he’s standing over me at this point behind me and he takes his arm and he wraps it around my neck and he proceeds to choke me so hard that I can’t gasp for air,” Angelica Kerley said. “And I’m not going to lie, at some point, I thought that he was going to kill me.
How Many Medals Does Fred Kerley Have?
Fred Kerley has two Olympic medals, a silver and bronze medal in the 100. He has also won two individual and three relay medals at the World Championships, including four gold medals.
Where is Fred Kerley From?
Fred Kerley is from Taylor, Texas, and he went to college at South Plains College and Texas A&M.
Where Does Fred Kerley Live?
Fred Kerley currently trains primarily at the University of Southern California with his coach, Quincy Watts.
- Last Modified: May 14, 2025