Road to 2024 Paris Olympics: Fred Kerley Set for 100M Season Opener at Hurricane Invitational Months After Budapest Upset

This is the year of the Paris Olympics, and many athletes like Fred Kerley are up for the big challenge. He has proven his mettle by winning three world championships, his last one coming in the Eugene 2022 event. Despite this, the world champion has encountered few obstacles since failing to defend his 100-meter title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

However, he has overcome many obstacles and harsh criticism to earn a spot on the Hurricane Invitational 100-meter race roster. When it comes to Fred Kerley’s track career, this race is also quite important.

The athlete was looking forward to the 2024 Glasgow World Athletics Indoor Championships. But it came to light in the days leading up to the competition that US Track and Field had decided to drop Kerley from the 4×400-meter relay.

A day of doom for the former 100-meter title holder

Fred Kerley won the 100-meter finals at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene by continuing his season-long form. High hopes were placed on the American track champion attending Budapest for the 2023 championship. As he defended his 100-meter title, he became a fan favorite.

His race began in Heat 5, where he finished in second place and advanced into the semi-finals. The reigning world champion undoubtedly entered the semi-finals with a great deal of self-assurance, but destiny had other plans.

In the semi-finals of Heat 3, the rising star from Jamaica, Oblique Seville, finished in 9.90 seconds, while Letsile Tebogo of Botswana came in second, clocking 9.98. After finishing third in the 100-meter SF3, Kerley was eliminated, clocking 10.02 seconds.

As per the post-race interview with the NBC Olympics, Kerley reacted to getting eliminated from the finals by just 0.01 seconds:

“I think everything was good. I’m blessed, I’m healthy, and hey, they got the better of me. I should have been there but I f****** up. Life move on.”

Despite Fred Kerley’s elimination, two of his countrymen, Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman, advanced into the championship round. Finally, Lyles won the gold, much to the pleasure of American supporters.

Fred Kerley coming back to track after missing World Indoors ahead of Paris Olympics

Kerley did fail to defend his 100-meter crown, but he and his 4×100-meter team earned gold in Budapest. But, again, the track star settled for bronze at the Wanda Diamond League in Xiamen. He also started his 2024 track season in the 2024 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix but didn’t earn any medals as he secured a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter event.

Despite a shaky start, he anticipated the 4×400-meter relay at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. But Noah Lyles came in at the last moment to replace him on the relay team. Even though the track star was upset to see Lyles take his position, a few track legends, like Michael Johnson, had another opinion:

“US putting Noah on the 4×400 relay makes sense. US indoor 400 team is weak. No finalist in the open 400. Noah has expressed a desire to run both relays in Paris. This is an opportunity for him to prove if he deserves it.”

Despite his disappointment, Kerley persisted in his self-training. Not long ago, he also got registered for the Hurricane Invitational, set to take place at Cobb Stadium in Florida. The track star even dedicated a whole Instagram video to his 100-meter return, as his fans were overjoyed.

For the American track sensation, the Hurricane Invitational will be a proving ground. Along with him, there will be a slew of youthful competitors in the 100-meter race. The individuals will also want to aim for gold, as ultimately their goal will be to qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics, just like Fred Kerley. Due to the abundance of other events taking place on the same day, Cobb Stadium is sure to be a bustling hub of activity.