Fred Kerley

The AIU (Athletics Integrity Unit) has provisionally suspended U.S. sprinter and two-time Olympic 100m medallist Fred Kerley on whereabouts violations.

Athletes are required to continually update their whereabouts information so they can be tested outside of competition; failure to do so three times in a 12-month period, resulting in missed doping tests, is considered an ADRV (anti-doping rule violation) and typically results in a two-year suspension. 

 

It’s just the latest in a string of troubles facing the sprinter, who was arrested twice earlier this year–once in January, after tangling with police in Miami, after which he was charged with domestic assault against his wife, and again in May, when he was charged with assaulting a former girlfriend. After his arrest in May, Kerley withdrew from the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami in which he was scheduled to race. He finished seventh in the 100m and third in the 200m at the series’ inaugural meet in Kingston, Jamaica, in April.

Kerley’s lawyer, Howard L. Jacobs, said in a statement that he intends to “contest the allegation that he has violated the anti-doping rules” since he believes the doping control officer did not do “what was reasonable under the circumstances” to locate him at his designated location. 

With Kerley appealing the governing body’s ruling, the AIU will now conduct an internal review by interviewing associated doping control officers and witnesses. The review could take a few weeks or months, depending on the complexity of the case.

U.S. Olympic medallist arrested again in Miami

Kerley won Olympic silver in the 100m at Tokyo in 2021 and bronze at Paris 2024; he also won world championship gold in the 100m in 2022.