Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 9 - Source: Getty — Fred Kerley celebrates his bronze medal finish at the Paris Olympics in men's 100m finals [Image Source: Getty]

"The Journey don't stop"- Fred Kerley eyes LA Olympics 2028 as he aims to win the gold medal after having the silver and bronze under his belt

Modified Sep 19, 2024 03:49 GMT

Fred Kerley may not have won the Wanda Diamond League 2024, but the double Olympic medalist isn't disappointed. The 29-year-old athlete has set his sights on the coveted Olympic gold medal at the home edition in Los Angeles, which will take place in 2028.

Fred Kerley recently shared his ambitions of competing in the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 by taking to his X account [formerly Twitter].

Showing his two consecutive medals in the 100m event from Paris Olympics and Tokyo Olympics, the American sprinter wrote,

"The journey don't stop. My 2 Olympic medal from Tokyo to Paris. Next stop homecoming."

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In another post, Fred Kerley also stated how lucky he was to win two consecutive Olympic medals in the men's 100m. Without taking any names, Kerley posted further,

"Some of yall best athletes don't got one."

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Fred Kerley won the Olympic bronze medal with a timing of 9.81 seconds in the men's 100m event at the Paris Olympics. This was his second consecutive Olympic medal in this event after the silver medal he won at the Tokyo Olympics, recording a time of 9.84 seconds.

While the age factor may not be in his favor at the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, Fred Kerley has Justin Gatlin to take inspiration from. The former Olympic champion was 34 years old when he almost defeated the sprinting legend Usain Bolt from Jamaica at the Rio Olympics in 2016, clocking 9.89 seconds to clinch the silver medal.

Fred Kerley at the Paris Olympics

Fred Kerley of the USA [Extreme right] in action during the men's 100m finals at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

With a silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics, Fred Kerley aimed to change his fortunes at the Paris Olympics. He had clocked a personal best of 9.76 seconds at an athletic meet in Eugene in 2022. The very next month, Kerley won the gold medal in the 100m event at the World Athletics Championships 2022, also held in Eugene, clocking a time of 9.86 seconds.

At the Paris Olympics, Fred Kerley made an impressive start, jointly topping the heats with fellow teammate Kenny Bednarek, who registered an identical timing of 9.97 seconds.

Kerley finished behind Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in the semifinals, who was one of the top contenders for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Thompson clocked 9.80 seconds, while Kerley clocked 9.84 seconds. Noah Lyles, who had just managed to qualify for the semifinals, overtook him with a timing of 9.83 seconds, finishing second behind Oblique Seville of Jamaica.

However, the final was a different story. Kerley had the quickest start, taking the lead almost up to the halfway mark before Kishane Thompson and Noah Lyles caught up with him. Kishane Thompson sped ahead, but so did Noah Lyles. The race was so intense and close that the results had to be decided via photo finish.

None could believe the final results as Noah Lyles, defying all expectations, won the first Olympic gold medal for the USA in this discipline after 20 years, edging out Thompson by 0.005 seconds, even though both clocked 9.79 seconds. Fred Kerley had to settle for the bronze medal, with a seasonal best timing of 9.81 seconds. He later participated in the Diamond League Finals held in Brussels, finishing third with a timing of 10.01 seconds.