Why Did 400M Star Fred Kerley Switch to 100M Event?

Published 04/25/2022, 9:30 AM EDT

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American Sprinter Fred Kerley is on a mission to become the most versatile racer of all time. He was originally a 400m runner but has now been racing in the 100m and the 200m categories. While many considered this to not be the right career choice. However, Fred has silenced his doubters with some amazing performances in the short distance.

But what inspired the American to drop from his original distance of 400m? Let’s find out.

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Why did Fred Kerley drop his distance?

26-year-old Fred was originally a 400m runner, and he was a good one at that. With a personal best of 43.46seconds in the 400m event, he is the 8th fastest man in the category.
In Florida this year, Kerley ran the 400m in 44.47 seconds, which is the year’s best performance so far. He also took part in the 200m event which he finished in 20.04seconds. Incidentally, this too is the best timing of the season so far, and he did not stop there. In the 100m event, he broke the sub-10 second barrier as he clocked in 9.99seconds. The way he aced all three distances proved that he is a serious contender in each race he takes part in.

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In an interview, Kerley was asked what led to him deciding to drop from 400m to 100m and 200m races. “Well, I talked to my coaches and staff about my plan,” Fred replied. “The bigger plan is still the 400m in the coming years, right now I’m just focusing on getting my speed up so I can make history,” he added.

By now, we are all well aware of the fact that Fred is after Herb McKenley’s incredible achievement and if his performances are any sign, Fred is well on his way to not only matching but also bettering Herb’s feat.

Fred is highly motivated to break records

Kerley has made it clear that he wants to be a record-breaker this year. So far, it doesn’t look like the Olympic silver medalist is going to slow down any soon. At the beginning of the year, he set the standard for himself, and the other athletes.

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Watch this Story: Christian Coleman Stunned by Marcel Jacob’s in Extremely Close Call at 60m World Championship Race

Fred currently ranks No. 1 in the world rankings in the 100m category. He is closely followed by Lamont Marcell Jacobs in second, and Andre DeGrasse in third position.

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Written by:

Naman Gopal Srivastava

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Naman Gopal is a US Sports Writer at EssentiallySports. Naman is an Undergraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, with a minor’s degree in Cinematography from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology. An ardent fan of basketball and soccer, Naman was once a national level soccer player himself.
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Edited by:

Deepakshi Chaudhary