Fred Kerley is currently serving a two-year ban from traditional athletics, but the American sprint star still won $250,000 from a major athletics race this year. The catch was that the race took place at the controversial Enhanced Games, but Kerley competed without using performance enhancers. Now, after fellow American Jonah Koech was handed a USADA ban, Kerley has once again stepped in, appearing to suggest a way for the newest banned U.S. champion to keep racing and earn money.

On August 10, Kerley reshared an Instagram Story from Scouting777 announcing the three-year ban for an Athlete Biological Passport violation imposed on Koech for his 1,500m victory at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships. Koech is now banned until July 2029.

Seeing this long ban, Kerley added just a few words of his own to the post: “Enhanced Games way to go.”  Interestingly, Kerley had already taken that same route while serving his own ban.

Kerley wasn’t suspended because of a failed drug test, but because of a whereabouts violation. The world 100m champion and two-time Olympic 100m medalist has been slapped with a two-year suspension from the Athletics Integrity Unit for three whereabouts failures over a 12-month span. The failures occurred from May 11 to December 6, 2024.

The AIU disciplinary tribunal noted Kerley’s behavior was negligent and, in part, reckless. His period of ineligibility began with credit for his provisional suspension and runs through August 11, 2027. But being suspended from traditional athletics did not stop Kerley from finding another place to race.

While serving his ban, Kerley joined the Enhanced Games, an alternative sporting event that does not follow the standard World Anti-Doping Agency rules and permits athletes to use performance-enhancing substances.  Kerley entered the men’s 100m and won the event in 9.97 seconds. His victory came with a $250,000 prize.

That meant Kerley was able to compete and collect a major payday while remaining suspended from conventional athletics. And now, his experience there has become relevant to Jonah Koech.

The blood samples that changed Jonah Koech’s career

Jonah Koech’s three-year suspension wasn’t due to a simple, positive test for a banned substance. Rather, the case was based on blood samples taken as part of his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), which involves monitoring an athlete’s biological markers over time.

Two blood samples were obtained from Koech on July 30 and Aug. 8, 2025. The timing immediately became important. Koech won the men’s 1,500m at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships on August 2, running 3:30.17 to claim the national title. The second sample was collected six days later.

USADA later collected additional samples to build Koech’s biological passport profile. In February 2026, the ABP expert process produced an Adverse Passport Finding that was reported to USADA. After reviewing Koech’s blood profile, an expert panel determined that his values were highly atypical and consistent with blood doping. And then on August 10, he was banned.

But to keep competing, he can join Enhanced Games along with Fred Kerley and 13 other track athletes who already competed at the 2026 event, including Emmanuel Matadi, Marvin Bracy-Williams, Reece Prescod, Clarence Munyai, Mouhamadou Fall, Mike Bryan, Denae McFarlane, Shania Collins, Jasmine Abrams, Shockoria Wallace, Taylor Anderson and Tristan Evelyn.

That gives Koech a ready-made group of athletes who have already stepped outside the traditional competition system. The Enhanced Games are expected to return in 2027. There is also an important distinction.

Koech’s three-year sanction does not mean he is permanently finished with traditional athletics. While he cannot compete in eligible conventional competition during his period of ineligibility, his current ban is scheduled to end in July 2029. After serving the sanction, Koech can seek to return to traditional athletics, provided he satisfies the applicable World Athletics and anti-doping requirements.

That leaves Koech with a choice about what comes next. He can spend the next three years waiting for his conventional comeback, or he could consider the alternative Kerley has already pointed toward.