‘Win the slam, and $100k is yours.’ That’s what Grand Slam Track offered. It came as an opportunity for athletes to get good pay in a sport that is undervalued when it comes to money. And for an athlete like Fred Kerley, who has no sponsor, he must have set his target straight. But unfortunately, that could not happen. The Olympian finished seventh in the men’s 100m final with a time of 10.30 seconds and third in the 200m by clocking 20.39, thus he ended up being ranked fourth in the short sprint group. Now, after the $100k loss, he has made a confession that will put many minds to worry. What is that?

“Coach JB, it’s one of those days—I can’t even get out the car. It feels like the pre-Olympics all over again… legs locked up, stiff like they jammed again. Greatness 🤐,” posted the three-time world champion on X today. There is no doubt that, Olympic is the greatest stage of all, and being nervous before it is only normal. But despite that, Kerley has a medal in both the Olympics he participated. A 100m silver in Tokyo and a bronze for the same in Paris. But what, Fred wrote today is concerning! And it’s not the first time either.

Opening up about mental health before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kerley said, “Keep pushing, because there are always brighter days, and they’re always dark days, but no matter what, keep on going,”. But this message from him was more on positive note but what came today was the one that screamed, help!

The 2024 season was filled with triumphs and setbacks for the Olympian. He did win the bronze at the Olympics but the US 4×100 Relay team which he was a member was disqualified from the final due to a baton exchange outside the designated takeover zone. Then there was the loss of his sponsorship deal with ASICS. Even before the Olympics, he failed to run a sub-10-second 100m in his initial outdoor meets, recording times of 10.03s, 10.11s, and 10.17s.

At that time, he had said, “Lost my soul a few times this year. Still standing stronger than ever. You can’t stop God’s blessing,” on his X account. And yes, he did shine in Paris Olympics. Then the 2025 season, the Grand Slam track didn’t go as planned. And now he is going back to the 400m

Fred Kerley returning to 400m after two years

Fred Kerley last ran the 400m at the Sydney Track Classic back in March 2023, and he looked sharp, winning the race in 44.65 seconds. And now he is making a comeback to his event.

The 65th annual Mt. SAC Relays, April 16-19 at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif- Fred Kerley will return to 400m to face NCAA indoor finalist Williams Jones of USC, and Gabriel Medina of South Florida and Johnny Goode of California-Berkeley, both ranked in the top 15 in the NCAA this season, are also entered. His personal best in the 400m is an insane 43.64 seconds, which he ran in 2019 at the US Championships. That time puts him among the fastest guys ever in that event.

Kerley has talked about why he shifted from the 400m to shorter sprints, mainly during the pandemic. He wanted to work on his raw speed, figuring it would help him overall when he eventually came back to the 400m. Judging by that race in Sydney, the plan seems to be working.