Olympic medalist sprinter Fred Kerley is once again in the news, but this time for a different reason. The American sprinter was involved in an online feud with Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala.
Kerley is currently suspended from professional athletics for missing the doping tests by the AIU [Athletics Integrity Unit] of US Track and Field. This was one of the reasons why the athlete missed out on the Tokyo World Championships.
Fred Kerley Argues With Ferdinand Omanyala Over Track And Field Records
Kerley responded to the allegations imposed by Omanyala on his Instagram story. The African record holder in men’s 100m argued that he was the better of the two athletes. He even wrote in one of his Instagram stories,
“@fkerley99 you can have all the medals in the world but at the end of your career you have no legacy.”
A bewildered Kerley responded with multiple Instagram stories. In his very first story, he called out Kerley for his alleged double standards by sharing a screenshot of his DM, as he wrote in the caption,
“Like bro you not on the level you think you on sit down 1 and done race every year @ferdiomanyala. I got medal in different event.”
In the other Instagram story, Kerley directly responded to Omanyala’s jibe by writing in the caption,
“You don’t make sense at all.”
Kerley uploaded back-to-back reels of his previous sprints, where he outpaced Omanyala. In his final Instagram story to the Kenyan athlete, the American sprinter took a dig at his journey before athletics, when he wrote,
“@ferdiomanyala tell them why you change to track and field.”
For the uninitiated, Omanyala initially played rugby for the University of Nairobi. It was during one such match that his friend noticed his speed and suggested he try athletics. Soon enough, Omanyala changed gears to become a brilliant sprinter in the 100m event.
A Preview Of Kerley’s Performance In The Previous Season
Following an unsatisfactory experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kerley sought to improve in 2025. The 30-year-old athlete began on a brilliant note at the Trojan Invitational Meet held in Los Angeles, where he clocked 10.23 seconds to win the race.
Kerley participated in the inaugural meet of the Grand Slam Track League held in Kingston, Jamaica. However, he didn’t leave a solid impression. The 30-year-old sprinter finished a disappointing seventh in the 100m event, while he barely managed to secure third position in the 200m event.
Kerley stood third in both the 100m and the 200m events at the Rabat leg of the Wanda Diamond League 2025. He also finished first in the Grand Sprint Series finals. However, he was suspended ahead of the Tokyo World Championships. Following this, he signed up for the Enhanced Games, where athletes participate without restrictions, including drug testing.
