FROM THE VERY FIRST ROUND Fred Kerley made it clear he wasn’t just there to make the team — he was there to make a statement.
There was no coasting home in the heats — instead, he ran a world-leading 9.83 PR that put him a full 0.24 ahead of the rest of the field.
He topped that the next day with another PR/WL, 9.76, the second-fastest legal time on American soil ever, topped only by Usain Bolt’s then-WR 9.72 in New York back in ’08.
And then an hour and a half later, no worse for the wear, he authoritatively stamped himself as U.S. champion with a 9.77.
In fact, the Texan made three statements: the 100 is indeed his event; he can handle running rounds; he’s ready to take on Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, world champion Christian Coleman and anyone else the planet wants to throw at him.
Coleman qualified for the final here but exercised his defending-champ status to sit it out. Rounding out the 4-deep U.S. squad will be Marvin Bracy-Williams (=PR 9.85) and Trayvon Bromell (9.88), with Micah Williams off the podium at 9.90. Fastest-ever-for-place times for 5th, =6th and 7th went to Elijah Hall (9.90 PR), Kyree King (9.96 PR) and Kenny Bednarek (9.98). It was the first race ever with 7 sub-10 marks.
Kerley reinforced the message that Joe Fahnbulleh sent on this same track at the NCAA: fast starts in the 100 can be overrated. Kerley appeared to be tied with Bednarek as slowest out of the blocks, but he had that situation rectified by 30m, pulling even with the field. By 60 he held an 0.01 lead, and then increased it to a full body length by the finish.
“It’s all about patience and training and stuff and continuing to do what I got to do,” Kerley said of his approach.
Kerley was excited about the prospect of the Worlds being held in the United States for the first time.
“I feel like it means a lot just being from America, we don’t gotta travel that much, it’s just up the road a couple of hours. I feel like it will bless us American athletes a lot. We don’t gotta travel like a lot of other countries do when we travel overseas. We’re on home soil and we’re just going up the road and it’s time to have fun on home soil.”
However, he won’t be hanging around Eugene in the interim.
“I’m going back to the crib,” he said.
MEN’S 100 RESULTS
FINAL (June 24; wind +1.8)
1. Fred Kerley (Nik) 9.77 (x, =9 A);
2. Marvin Bracy-Williams (Nik/Tumb) 9.85 =PR (=8, x A);
3. Trayvon Bromell (NBal) 9.88;
4. Micah Williams (Or) 9.90;
5. Elijah Hall (NikRB) 9.90 PR;
6. Kyree King (Nik) 9.96 PR;
7. Kenny Bednarek (Nik) 9.98;
… dnc (wild card)—Christian Coleman (Nik).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 5, =6, 7) (first race with 7 sub-10s)
HEATS (June 23)
I(-0.4)–1. Bromell 10.10; 2. King 10.17; 3. Dondrea Swint (FlSt) 10.32; 4. Mike Rodgers (Nik) 10.36; 5. Jo’Vaughn Martin (FlSt) 10.36; 6. Christopher Royster (Tracksm) 10.44; 7. Demek Kemp (Asics) 10.48; 8. Demarius Smith (Ok) 10.54.
II(1.5)–1. Kerley 9.83 PR (WL, AL) (=6, x A);
2. Cravont Charleston (Tracksm) 10.07; 3. Ilias Garcia (Sharks) 10.12 PR; 4. Christopher Belcher (adi) 10.19; 5. Sterling Warner-Savage (Louis) 10.27; 6. Javonte’ Harding (NCAT) 10.32; 7. Courtney Lindsey (TxT) 10.36.
III(-0.7)–1. Coleman 10.08; 2. Marvin Bracy (Nik/Tumb) 10.09; 3. Hall 10.09; 4. Kendal Williams (adi/Pure) 10.18; 5. Coby Hilton (unat) 10.37 (10.361); 6. Edward Sumler (Hous) 10.37; 7. Joey Fox (Sharks) 10.55; 8. Caleb Jackson (unat) 10.65.
IV(0.4)–1. Brandon Carnes (unat) 10.10; 2. Bednarek 10.10; 3. Williams 10.11; 4. Lawrence Johnson (Wi) 10.23; 5. Isiah Young (Nik) 10.25; 6. Dedrick Vanover (Fl) 10.36; 7. Brendon Stewart (USC) 10.38.
SEMIS (June 24)
I(1.4)–1. Kerley 9.76 PR (WL, AL) (=6, =15 W; =3, =6 A);
2. Hall 9.98 PR; 3. King 9.99; 4. K. Williams 10.03; 5. Carnes 10.04; 6. Charleston 10.05; 7. Young 10.10; 8. Swint 10.17.
II(1.5)–1. Bromell 9.81; 2. Bracy 9.86; 3. Coleman 9.87; 4. M. Williams 9.94; 5. Bednarek 9.95; 6. Johnson 10.08 PR; 7. Belcher 10.15; 8. Garcia 10.22.
