Fred Kerley found himself at the centre of a furious war of words at the controversial Enhanced Games after being accused of “disrespecting” rival athletes following his victory in the men’s 100m sprint.
The American sprinter clocked 9.97 seconds in Las Vegas on Sunday to secure first place and collect a prize worth £185,000 during the heavily criticised event, which openly permits the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Kerley, who insists he is competing drug-free, immediately sparked controversy with his explosive post-race comments after crossing the line ahead of the field.
“They gotta do better than that,” he said. “They need to train a little harder, get on that s**t a little bit more, and go a little harder some more.”
The remarks did not go down well with fellow sprinter Marvin Bracy-Williams, who launched a furious response after finishing third with a time of 10.39 seconds.
“I don’t like that,” Bracy-Williams said. “He’s disrespecting the whole reason we’re here.
“He didn’t do nothing spectacular. He’s been advertising for a world record.
“As a sprinter, I respect the hell out of him, he’s one of those people you gotta come out and do hard.
Fred Kerley, who insists he is competing drug-free, immediately sparked controversy with his explosive post-race comments after crossing the line ahead of the field
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GETTY
“But as far as his mouth – I’m OK with celebrating, that’s cool, but when you disrespect the rest of the athletes, I don’t vibe with that.”
Bracy-Williams also hinted tensions between the pair were far from over.
“I got something for him when I see him,” he added.
Kerley later responded after learning about the criticism and made it clear he had no interest in making friends during the competition.
The remarks did not go down well with fellow sprinter Marvin Bracy-Williams, who launched a furious response after finishing third with a time of 10.39 seconds
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GETTY
“I’m here to disrespect the field,” he said. “I’m not here to be buddies.
“There’s money on the line. I’m here to disrespect the field.
“There’s nobody that’s going to take money out of my pocket. I got kids to feed.”
The Enhanced Games have generated fierce debate since launching, with organisers promoting the competition as a radical new sporting concept designed to push human performance beyond traditional limits.
Unlike mainstream elite sport, competitors are allowed to use substances such as steroids, testosterone and EPO without punishment.
Critics, however, have warned the format undermines sporting integrity and creates dangerous incentives for athletes.
Kerley had arrived in Las Vegas boasting that Usain Bolt’s iconic 9.58-second world record could eventually be “destroyed” at the Games.
Fred Kerley 🇺🇸 runs 9.97s (-0.3) to win the men’s 100m final at the Enhanced Games.
This was supposed to be a 100m World Record attempt.pic.twitter.com/JiJ2d4BnF3
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) May 25, 2026
Yet his winning time would still have left him trailing the leading sprinters at the Paris Olympics, where the American previously claimed bronze with a significantly faster 9.81-second run.
The 31-year-old remains one of the biggest names involved in the event.
Kerley won Olympic silver and bronze medals in Tokyo and Paris respectively, while also becoming 100m world champion in 2022.
He has competed professionally since 2017 and featured prominently in Netflix’s Sprint documentary series released last year.
However, Kerley is currently serving a two-year suspension issued by the Athletics Integrity Unit after missing multiple drug tests.
While missing tests does not prove an athlete has used banned substances, it still constitutes a breach of anti-doping regulations under athletics rules.
