Keeping the straight talk has always been the mainstay for Fred Kerley. The 29-year-old from Texas prefers to stay true to himself, regardless of time and place. Remember his admission after losing the men’s 4x100m relay event in the Paris Olympics? This time, the US men’s team had enough firepower to break the medal drought in the event. The US women’s team has been superbly successful in the Olympic relay events. But the men’s squad has yet to land success in the 4x100m relay since the 2004 Olympics. So, the stakes had been high this time.

Sadly, the quartet of Fred Kerley, Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, and Kyree King faced disqualification in the primary round. They huddled while exchanging the baton. However, no one came forward to give a justification except Kerley. In his interaction, he conceded, “We did give a gold medal away in that relay, and we take full responsibility.” His instinct has always been to keep his feet on the ground. Now, Michael Johnson has complimented this character in three words. 

Fred Kerley receives respect from the track and field sports legend 

On November 29, Fred Kerley shared an X-post, showing himself thumping his chest, much like announcing his greatness on the track. For an athlete with medals in 100m, 200m, and 400m events, such pride in himself may suit him well. Meanwhile, the caption of the post adds another element to the post. It read, “Guess who’s back in 2025. You’ve got to prove to me if they’re really built like that.” That seems to be throwing a challenge to his opponents on the track.

Notably, Kerley didn’t show up in many races after the Paris Olympics. He was in a few editions of the Diamond League. But his next big engagement will come on the Grand Slam Track next year. Naturally, such a brave message has sent waves to Kerley’s fans, who have been waiting to see him shed the hibernation. Fortunately, the bunch of fans included Michael Johnson. 

The 400m legend has always been a big fan of Fred Kerley. So, when the opportunity arose, he quickly signed the Olympian up for his ambitious Grand Slam Track competition. The four-time Olympic champion also expressed his admiration for Kerley on Friday, sending him a three-word greeting. In the message, Johnson wrote, “The realist one!” backing Fred’s supremacy. And folks, if you remember, the two-time Olympic medalist has already accepted Cole Hocker’s challenge to counter him in a 600m race on the street.

The GST authority has been yearning to host the race and MJ has said yes as well. So will the three-word praise motivate Fred in the coming days to win the battle? Let’s wait for that moment. However, Johnson isn’t the only Olympic champion to garland Fred Kerley. 

Justin Gatlin spots a ‘killer’ in the athlete 

Landing a chance to meet Fred Kerley isn’t something easy to grab. Even Justin Gatlin had to wait for a few weeks to set things up. But when he ultimately did, he put no lid over his fandom for the athlete. Rather, the meeting chance moved him in a way where he put so many good adjectives to Fred’s name. But what did Gatlin say?

Drenched in emotions, the former Olympic champion said, “You the killer boogeyman, whatever you want to call him, man, hey, good dude, man, really good dude man.” His colleague, Rodney Green, showcased a similar emotion to Kerley. But what are the exceptional traits that make Fred Kerley taller than everyone else? 

Justin Gatlin had an answer. Being a prominent raconteur, he always keeps his fingers on the nerves of the sports. That has ultimately provided him with an idea about Kerley’s supremacy. In the same interaction, Gatlin said, “He [Fred Kerley] sees what the sport is, how the sport is set up and he knows that you got to be successful outside the sport, to be successful in life.”

The impressions are actual as the legends feel no remorse in accepting Kerley’s best parts in his character. Michael Johnson is another name on the list. What do you think about these traits? Let us know.