Fred Kerley made headlines after an appearance on the Ready Set Go podcast, where he made some surprising revelations. One of the first major topics he tackled was Netflix’s docuseries Sprint. As part two of the series prepared for release, Kerley criticized the show, claiming that despite its noble intentions, it presents an inauthentic portrayal of athletes. This statement set the tone for more unexpected insights, including some untold details about the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 100-meter race at the Paris Olympics was one of the most captivating events of the games, with Kerley among the competitors vying for the coveted gold medal. As Sprint described it, “There is no crown heavier than the Olympic 100-meter gold medal.” Kerley had been confident heading into the final, saying, “I was like, if I win this, all these guys are trash.” However, the race did not go as planned for him, with Noah Lyles winning gold, leaving Kerley to settle for the bronze. Yet, as Kerley revealed on the podcast, the real story started even before the race.
As the world watched the men line up for the final, Kerley felt prepared to give his best, saying, “My heart was just beating, beating, beating fast, so I’m ready to run, and then it just went away.” This shift in energy happened due to a major delay right before the race, caused by an intrusion on the field that had to be dealt with. This resulted in what Kerley described as the longest delay in Olympic history, which he believes significantly impacted his performance.
Looking back, Kerley said, “Had the race started five minutes earlier, you probably would have seen a faster race out of everybody.” While the final was the fastest in history—with all nine sprinters finishing under 9.91 seconds—Kerley felt that the delay took away the athletes’ full potential. He clocked in at 9.81 seconds, finishing behind Lyles and Kishane Thompson, both of whom ran 9.79 seconds. Reflecting on his performance, Kerley admitted, “If you go watch that race, I gave that race up when I got up. I was killing them, and once I got my transition, I stepped a step backward and then tried to run again. I lost that race, but you live, and you learn.”
Kerley’s assertion that the race could have been faster is supported by the fact that all three medalists had posted faster times earlier in the season. For instance, Thompson had clocked 9.77 seconds at the Jamaican Championships, while Lyles ran 9.83 seconds in the Paris semifinals. Kerley himself had recorded a personal best of 9.76 seconds in Eugene in 2022, faster than his final time in Paris. Despite these setbacks, Kerley still described the race as “definitely one for the ages, definitely one of the most beautiful races I’ve been a part of.”
With the 2024 track and field season behind him, Kerley remains determined to achieve his long-held goal of breaking Usain Bolt’s 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds. Kerley is hopeful that, under the right conditions, he might just be able to achieve that feat in the future.