BREAKING NEWS: TEMPORARY SUSPENSION FOR AMERICAN SPRINTER FRED KERLEY DUE TO WHEREABOUTS
- therookiereporters
- Aug 15
- 2 min read
American track and field is once again in the heat of the spotlight with Fred Kerley being suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). This article will cover why this suspension has come about.
Kerley, a former world champion, has been provisionally suspended by the AIU for three missed doping tests within a single year- the equivalent to a positive test. The athlete, known best for his Silver and Bronze medals at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, representively, must now face the consequences of his actions.
The 30-year-old athlete from Texas, who trains with Quincy Watts, the 1992 Olympic champion in the 400m, has already been left out of the United States team for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, this September, due to missing the national championships in June. Along with his absence, he posted a mysterious message on social media, saying that “The 100m race should be purely an easy one in 2025. It's taking me a while to get back on track. I'll not compete this year. Thank you to my supporters.”.
This period has been difficult for the American sprinter, who has faced arrest twice in the past few months, once for assaulting a police officer and once for a violent incident at a hotel. If three failed tests are not cleared, the standard penalty for each of these three is a ban of up to four years, though the duration can change depending on the circumstances
In a statement issued by his lawyers, Kerley made it clear that he will appeal the suspension decision. He maintains that the three missed tests should not be counted because the tester did not follow the necessary procedures to locate him at the address entered into the ADAMS system. His main argument is that every top athlete must adhere to a daily one-hour time limit, in which they can take an unannounced test as part of the system, which he claims to maintain.
Article written by Ioanna Ntontsef
