2025 has been anything but a rollercoaster ride for Fred Kerley. On one hand, he started his season with a 100m win at the USC Trojan Invitational with an awesome time of 10.23 seconds; his subsequent races left a lot to be desired. But come the Grand Slam Track, his performance issues were highlighted as he only managed a seventh in the 100m and a third in the 200m in the Jamaican heartland. But while many were quick to question the ongoing form of Kerley, it seems he has the vote of confidence of one track legend. But who?
Enter Rodney Green, former track maestro and pundit. “But I guarantee you revisit them around July; this is not happening,” said Rodney Green for Fred Kerley on the latest episode of Ready Set Go. Green made a point that runners like Letsile Tebogo and Fred Kerley are strong runners, and the small-distance races are not their forte. Tebogo has also been racing in the 100, 200, and 400 meters this season. Agreeing with him, Justin Gatlin said, “Oh, 100%. When you looking at Tobo, he is he is you could tell he’s in a phase of a 2-4 kind of system.”
Gatlin said that he was in the endurance phase as of right now. Pointing out his 10.20-second run in the Wanda Diamond League Xiamen’s 100m, Gatlin said that, “I’m not too worried about Tobiot. He’s going to show up when it’s time to show up.” The Olympian brought in public perception over this, the normal audiences thinking of these performances as post-Olympic blues – a challenging and stressful period in which many athletes can experience a range of negative psychological reactions.
He disagreed with this, citing, “I don’t think so. I just think that it’s all by design,” and then he got to Fred Kerley. Drawing parallels from Tebogo’s 10.20 run in the Diamond League and Fred’s GST performance, he said, “Fred did not look good at grand slamming the 100 meters. He ran a comparable time to Tabboho, which was 10.30. Tobo ran a 10.20, right? 10.20 something.”
Kerley clocked 10.30 in the 100m at the Grand Slam Track. “But we both know that they’re both in 400-meter shape right now.” Kerley recently ran the 400m in the Mt. SAC Relays, where he clocked a time of 44.73 seconds for the win. Gatlin further said that when the time comes, Fred can easily shred the 200m and get ready whenever the nationals or trials are in sight.
Addressing the fans, Gatlin said, “I don’t want people to get out there and start getting nervous or trying to like jump off the bandwagon. Stay true to who you are. Rock who you’re with because when it’s time to show up, they’re going to show up.” Believe in your athlete—that is the motto he wants to give. There has been a lot of fuss around Fred Kerley, especially after his loss at the Grand Slam Track.
It was so bad for the athlete that it raised questions about him. What did he have to say about the loss?
Fred Kerly on his Grand Slam Track Loss
The whole of the world watched in shock as the man who claimed a silver in 100m at the Tokyo Olympics and a bronze in 100M at the Paris Olympics in 2024 failed to clinch a podium finish in the grand slam track. Leave the podium finish; the man could not even finish in the top 5 of the 100m event. Finishing 7th did not suit him.
Reflecting on his defeat, he said, “ It’s smooth. Keep on going. You’ve got tomorrow. The last couple of races you did, the 100.” He was talking about the 200m he was going to race the next day. Well, at least he finished third in that. He was also asked about his plan for 100m and 200m and what his mindset is in these races, to which he said, “Hey, I step on the track and only I see greatness.”
The next step for him would be the Miami Grand Slam Track. Would he improve? Let us know your thoughts.
The post Fred Kerley’s Poor Performance at Grand Slam Track Kingston Doesn’t Shake US Track and Field Legend’s Hope in Him appeared first on EssentiallySports.
