Fred Kerley sat in front of reporters on Friday and said two things that don’t usually go together. He is not taking performance-enhancing drugs. And he is competing at the Enhanced Games, the new league that officially launches Saturday and openly allows them.
As reported by the Associated Press, the 31-year-old sprinter — the 2022 world champion at 100 meters — is currently banned from the regular track circuit until August 2027 for missing tests. Missing tests breaks the anti-doping code, but it does not mean an athlete failed one. Kerley wants people to remember the difference.
“I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. I’m here to showcase my talent. You still have to work. Drugs aren’t going to give you an advantage if you’re not putting the work in.”
Then he dropped the line that surprised the room. He plans to be on the start line at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when his ban will have lifted.
“I will compete at the LA Olympics in 2028,” he said.
Why he signed with Enhanced
Kerley is the most recognizable name on the Enhanced roster of about 50 athletes across track, swimming, and weightlifting. Most are taking performance enhancers under the supervision of doctors and trainers — a recent company report showed nine in ten used testosterone. A few, including Kerley and Olympic relay gold medalist Hunter Armstrong, say they are not.
His pitch is simple. The money was too good to turn down, and the shoe-contract model in track had worn him out. On social media, he has suggested it would take north of $12 million to top his Enhanced deal.
“We’re training, basically, 365, and it hasn’t changed from back in the day when all the greats were running,” Kerley said. “At the end of the day, I’m here to provide for my kids and myself.”
The missed tests
When the Athletics Integrity Unit handed down Kerley’s two-year ban in March, the easy assumption was that he had stopped caring about testing once Enhanced came calling. He says it had more to do with the daily grind of whereabouts requirements — the rule that athletes file their location at all times and give testers specific windows when they will be available.
Kerley said he had been ignoring calls that looked like spam coming from Mexico while he was in the U.S. Those, it turned out, were doping control officers.
“I grew up with family. You just don’t come and disrespect my space. Once you come and start disrespecting my space, it’s irritating.”
He says USADA and the AIU continue to test him. Rick Adams, a former U.S. Olympic sport performance chief who now works for Enhanced, confirmed that doping control officers are on site in Las Vegas collecting samples for USADA this weekend.
A shot at Bolt
Sunday’s headline event is the men’s 100. First prize is $250,000, with a $1 million bonus for breaking Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds. Kerley has been teasing a 9.4 on social media. Asked Friday if Bolt’s mark would fall, he did not hesitate.
“It’s going to be destroyed,” he said.
Pressed for a target time, he gave the same one-word answer three times.
“Fast.”
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