Fred Kerley’s 2025 has unfolded with one blow after another. First, he withdrew from the Grand Slam Track meeting in Miami. Then, he pulled out of the US Track and Field Championships in Oregon, ruling him out of this year’s World Championships in Tokyo. Soon after, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) provisionally suspended him for three whereabouts failures within 12 months. Such a sanction was enough to leave the possibility of a two-year ban. However, as fans were waiting to unravel the future of the Olympic medalist in the coming days, the athlete himself made a decision – he signed with the Enhanced Games, leaving the track world stunned.

On August 12, the AIU issued a Notice of Charge. It detailed Fred’s accounts of missed tests and failures in filing. Kerley responded by announcing his intention to contest the allegation. And he stated that “one or more of his alleged missed tests should be set aside either because he was not negligent or because the Doping Control Officer did not do what was reasonable under the circumstances.” Yet even as he prepared to appeal, Kerley already made a choice of participating in Enhanced Games. Kerley explained his reasoning plainly to Sports Illustrated. “It feels like I was in prison before — limited even on what over-the-counter medicine I could take,” he said. “Now I have peace of mind.”

He added that he is not seeking to win favor outside his inner circle. “People will always talk. I’m not chasing their approval, I’m focused on my circle and my future.”

The announcement sparked debate among supporters and critics alike. When a fan on an Instagram post warned, “He’s still in the testing pool with USADA! WADA! And AIU! He needs to tread lightly,” Kerley answered unapologetically, “they still can come test me.” 

In the recent past, the Enhanced Games, co-founded by Maximilian Martin, has emerged as an alternative structure for elite sport. Martin described the mission as creating “an honest model, regulated enhancement under medical supervision.” Kerley’s participation provides the project with its high-profile American sprinter yet, and he has chosen to present the move as a matter of control. “Equity is the key, trillion-dollar industries are the door — I already walked in,” he said.

However, Kerley’s choice does not seem to be fool-proof. Instead, it raises some serious questions about how his absence will impact Team USA in LA 2028. However, the 30-year-old has clearly shifted his focus from chasing validation in the Olympic system to establishing his own terms of competition. Yet, the big question remains. Why did Fred Kerley suddenly take such a drastic decision?

Will Fred Kerley finally achieve what Noah Lyles has chased for years?

At thirty, Fred Kerley had already stood among the fastest men alive, yet he ditched the traditional setup. But why? “What was valuable 20 years ago isn’t valuable today,” stated the Olympic medalist. And his decision to step away from home Olympics underscored how deeply he believed that sentiment. 

Noah Lyles spoke often of narrowing the distance to Usain Bolt’s record and has been eyeing the same for quite some time. But taking a step further, Kerley has just taken up a new path to achieve the same goal that Lyles has been waiting to fulfill. He openly declared that “the World Record has always been the ultimate goal of my career.”

Martin moreover, described Kerley’s place as central within “a long-term ecosystem,” designed to provide both resources and security. He further blatantly stated, “Athletes carry the product, but in the old system they’re underpaid and overregulated”

Emphasizing the same thought Kerley too added how he feels that athletes in the traditional track world are left underpaid. “Unless they start paying athletes properly, people will put themselves first. The sport can’t survive on outdated pay models,” read his statement.

Kerley, choosing to walk away from the prestigious Olympic stage still seeks the same historic time under a new banner. His explanation was concise, as narrating the reason behind his bold move, he said, “This is about freedom, family, and the future.” Is surpassing Bolt’s time (9.58) truly loading for Fred Kerley as he risks it all?