Dylan Bettencourt
At the age of two, Fred Kerley’s father was in jail and his mother was unable to look after him. He was forced to live in his aunt’s house with 12 other children.
That’s the kind of background that could crush the dreams of any child, but American athlete Kerley had a dream. He wanted to be the world’s fastest man and over the weekend he did just that.
The 27-year-old crossed the line in a blistering 9.86 seconds in the final of the 100m sprint at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday ahead of American teammates Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell.
After the race Kerley spoke about his passion for growing vegetables and how eating spinach from his garden fuels him.
“My crops are actually doing well. Before I left, I cut off some squash and I ate spinach out of the garden. It’s amazing!” he said, slapping his left bicep.
Kerley displays a tattoo of his aunt and talks about how she helped him to get where he is today.
“I was adopted with 13 children sleeping in one house. My aunt will think I accomplished some great things today.”
The sprinter from Texas said, despite his parents having to give him up at a young age, he speaks to them every day.
“What happened before doesn’t happen now. I am a grown man. I can have a relationship with my parents. They were not here tonight but I can guarantee they were watching,” he said.
Kerley didn’t come up against Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, the man who defeated him in Tokyo last year. Jacobs withdrew before the semi-finals due to injury.
The American however felt confident that the result would have been the same regardless of who lined up alongside him.
South African Akani Simbine finished in 5th spot.
Image source: @DailySabah
