Fred Kerley has been navigating the rough waters lately. Following his provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in August 2025, he had to make some difficult decisions. Kerley had to look for a stage where limits don’t exist, and that’s exactly what the Enhanced Games promise. Hence, the 30-year-old signed up for the controversial no dr*g testing event. With this, Fred Kerley just became the first track athlete and first American male to join Enhanced Games. For weeks, he said nothing, but now, he finally broke his silence.
Just a few weeks back, the suspension imposed by AIU on Kerley (for repeated whereabouts failures) left him out of the ongoing World Championships in Tokyo. That silence set the rumor mill on fire. Was Kerley finished? Was he quietly done with track? This week, we got our answer. In a post shared by Athletics Weekly on X, Kerley made it official: he’s not hiding, he’s doubling down. “I’m looking forward to this new chapter and competing at the Enhanced Games,” he said.
“The world record has always been the ultimate goal of my career. This now gives me the opportunity to dedicate all my energy to pushing my limits and becoming the fastest human to ever live.” But Fred Kerley didn’t stop there. On his own X account, he dropped a GIF of a man in a suit lying flat on the ground, waving his arms and legs to make what looked like a snow angel – except instead of snow, he was surrounded by piles of cash. The message? Hard to miss.
Kerley dreams of breaking Usain Bolt’s 9.58 world record, but the Enhanced Games sweeten the chase with a $1 million bonus for anyone who does it. Maybe that’s part of the motivation. Either way, not everyone’s applauding. Organisers argue that scrapping anti-doping rules will unleash sports science.
Is the reward worth the risk?
Will Fred Kerley make it to the 2028 LA Olympics?
Well, joining the Enhanced Games comes with serious complications. WADA has slammed the event as “dangerous and irresponsible.”But Fred Kerley spoke to his family “to get their blessing” before deciding to join the Enhanced Games. As he added: “It feels like I was in prison before limited even on what over-the-counter medicine I could take. Now I have peace of mind.” The former world champion is already living with uncertainty following a provisional suspension. On top of that, the possibility is that participating in this kind of competition will disqualify him from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But why?
Here’s why it matters: the Enhanced Games explicitly permit banned substances in Olympic competition – consider anabolic steroids, testosterone, and growth hormone. Their use is banned under IOC and World Athletics regulations, even when prescribed according to law. The governing bodies have signaled that they will be imposing bans. World Aquatics already excludes participants in the Enhanced Games from its events, and track and field will likely follow suit.
However, you can’t deny what Fred Kerley has already done. He has 100m silver (Tokyo 2020), bronze (Paris 2024), and gold (2022 World Championships in Eugene). Personal bests of 9.76 seconds for the 100m, 19.76 seconds for the 200m, and 43.64 seconds for the 400m.
Now, each and every step that Kerley takes could rewrite his career and legacy, and that’s what everyone is looking at.