Fred Kerley, one of the fastest men in track and field history, will chase Usain Bolt’s world record (and a $1,000,000 prize) at the Enhanced Games. The American sprinter announced his decision amid an ongoing suspension from World Athletics for whereabouts failures.
It is the beginning of the end.
This surprising shakeup in the world of track and field creates poor optics for his well-decorated career. The 30-year-old’s accomplishments will forever be tarnished.
Who is Fred Kerley?
Kerley led Texas A&M to its first-ever team title at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in 2017 with a solo victory in the 400 and a come-from-behind victory in the 4×400. That was how he announced his arrival.
The Texas-native later set the NCAA record in the 400 and concluded his amateur career with another national title in the event.
Fred Kerley has been equally as successful as a pro. He won a silver medal in the 100 in Tokyo and a bronze medal in Paris. His list of accomplishments also include three gold medals, one silver and one bronze at the World Championships.
Very few sprinters in history have run sub-10 in the 100, sub-20 in the 200 and sub-44 in the 400. Kerley is one of them. He ran the sixth-fastest time in history in the 100, one of the 25-fastest times in the 200 and one of the 10-fastest times in the 400.
Was he doping?
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Aug. 12 that Fred Kerley had been “provisionally suspended” for whereabouts failures on the sport’s anti-doping rules. He allegedly missed multiple (at least three) drug tests over the course of 12 months.
Athletes must make themselves available for testing at all times so Gabby Thomas called for a lifetime ban on any athlete who is accused of doping when the news was announced.
Kerley’s lawyers initially announced their plan to fight the suspension. It placed blame back on the AIU.
“Fred Kerley has already notified the AIU that he intends to contest the allegation that he has violated the anti-doping rules related to whereabouts failures, as he strongly believes that one of more of his alleged missed tests should be set aside either because he was not negligent or because the Doping Control Officer did not do what was reasonable under the circumstances to locate him at his designated location.”
Kerley later posted the following cryptic statement:
“You can try to break me in the storm, but all you’re doing is giving me a better story at the finish line.”
And then he went radio silent. We did not hear from him for more than a month because there was something else in the works behind the scenes.
Kerley is joining the Enhanced Games.
What are the Enhanced Games?
The concept is very simple. Athletes who compete in the Enhanced Games will not be tested for the use of illegal substances. They are free to use steroids. They are free to put anything in their bodies that might give them an advantage.
If any of those athletes break a world record in their respective events, they will earn a bonus of $1 million.
Fred Kerley’s decision to join the Enhanced Games, in parallel to his suspension from the AIU, tarnishes the rest of his track and field career. It makes me question whether he was running clean in the past.
AIU chairman David Howman says there could be further sanctions for Kerley in the coming months.
“He is currently suspended so he is not a member of World Athletics,” he said. “We can’t say anything further about him until that case is concluded. But because he is suspended, he has no rights at all in relation to athletics. What might happen in the future is for the future. That could include a future suspension process, for example.”
Brian Clothier, the head of the AIU, expressed his concern for the athletes.
“I don’t want to give the Enhanced Games too much oxygen, quite frankly,” he said. “Our biggest concern is probably about the health of Fred Kerley and other athletes who sign up to it. It’s clearly sort of grotesque, and I think athletes are being used.”
Usain Bolt set a world record in the 100 at 9.58 seconds. Kerley will now chase that mark while taking whatever substance(s) he so chooses.