Fred Kerley: How childhood hardship ignited a fire that led to 100m greatness
Having been adopted by his aunt as a toddler, Kerley slept on pallets in a single room with 12 other relatives while growing up. Now the world 100m champion's determination to never go back to the “same predicament” fuels his desire to become a track & field legend.
Athletics
Tattoos have become an integral part of how modern-day athletes express themselves, and for many Olympians, their favourite tattoo comes in the form of the five Olympic rings. It is a symbol of the rare sporting achievement of competing at the Games - something only around 10,000 summer athletes achieve every four years.
However, for the USA’s world 100m champion Fred Kerley, there is one piece of ink that means more to him than any other on his body: a tattoo under his left bicep with the name of his aunt, “Meme”.
While the Olympic rings bring back memories of achievement, Kerley’s tattoo of his aunt’s name is an expression of love. But more than that, it's a daily reminder of where he has come from.
“To me, the tattoos are messages to myself every day to just keep on going and don’t take anything for granted. It’s like a stamp, a passport, about a place I’ve been or a thing I’ve experienced, a way to remind me of where I’m going, in track and in life,” he said in a self-penned essay on the World Athletics Spikes website.
“In that sense, the one that means the most is that one on the inside of my left arm: Meme.”
Aunt Meme’s role in forging a world champion
Kerley’s relationship with his Aunt Meme, whose real name is Virginia, was the first stamp on a lifelong passport that has taken him to the very pinnacle of track & field.
As a toddler in San Antonio, Texas, Kerley was adopted by his aunt after his father was sent to prison and his mother was in his own words “absent” from his life.
“Me and my brother and sisters got adopted by my aunt Virginia,” he said after his victory in the 100m final at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. “We had one bedroom. There were 13 of us in one bedroom. We were on the pallet."
However, even with the challenges of a hard childhood, Kerley does not look back on those days with sadness or regret. It was in many ways the first step towards greatness and the lessons he learned from that experience continue to push him towards the goals he sets for himself today.
“At the end of the day, we all had fun, we enjoyed ourselves and are doing great things right now,” he said, before adding: “What motivates me is coming from what I come from and not being in the same predicament. Keep on accomplishing great things. You don’t want to be in the same position as you were when you were younger.”
From talented 400m runner to 100m world-beater
Perhaps it is this determination to achieve greatness that has been at the heart of Kerley’s ability to adapt to new challenges.
Originally a high school 200m runner, the athlete transitioned to the 400m where he found success winning the bronze medal at the Worlds in Doha in 2019.
But with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerley’s local track was closed and he rethought his goals for his career as an athlete.
He raised eyebrows by switching to the 100m but went on to win silver at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, to which the NBC commentator at the time responded: “We said Kerley was crazy, no one will say that anymore.”
But the best was yet to come.
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, Kerley shone on home soil, racing to 100m gold in a time of 9.86 to lead home an all-American sweep of the podium.
Now he has his sights set on an even greater prize - the 100m world record of Olympic legend Usain Bolt.
“It’s very realistic,” Kerley remarked to the Independent about his ability to challenge Bolt’s mark of 9.58 set all the way back in 2009. “Everything is realistic; Bolt, Wayde, and all of the American greats. They put the bar up there for us to do it. If they can do it then why not us?”
And don't expect him to stop there. The day before the 2023 Diamond League Opener which takes place in Doha on 5 May, Kerley revealed that his favourite race distance would probably be a "250" and the only runs he would rule himself out of would be "anything above a 400" and the hurdles, a discipline that when it was suggested he might attempt it he replied with a firm but simple "No".
Future goals built on experiences from the past
While Kerley is now very much focused on the future, he has also seen the value in letting go of the past.
That extends to his parents who he now talks to every day.
“What happened before doesn’t happen now,” the 27-year-old explained last year in Oregon when asked about his improved relationship with his mother and father.
Perhaps he is also aware that his childhood experiences made him who he is today - and even stopped him from straying from the path when many around him seemed to do exactly that.
“I’ve seen so many gifted teenagers who just never got out of home,” he said in his 2019 article with Spikes. “Even today I see them on Facebook, Instagram, and remember the talent they had in high school. They were great at sports but all of a sudden, once high school came to an end, they ended up back doing what their older siblings were doing.
“The difference for me was my mindset. From an early age, I said I can’t do that, can’t end up like them. I didn’t want my future to stay in one place. I wanted to get an education and travel all over the world and just keep on going.”
You can see the next stage in Fred Kerley’s journey when he competes in the men’s 200m at the Doha Diamond League on 5 May 2023.