Fred Kerley Becomes First American Male Sprinter to Join Enhanced Games

Former world champion Fred Kerley has signed up for the inaugural Enhanced Games, making him the first U.S. male track star to do so, Sport360NG reports.

The event, set to debut in 2026, has divided opinion as it permits athletes to use banned performance-enhancing substances under medical supervision.

Kerley, 30, is currently provisionally suspended over an alleged anti-doping whereabouts violation, which ruled him out of the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He faces the prospect of a two-year ban but insists he will challenge the charge.

Posting on X, the 2022 100m world champion wrote: “I’m looking forward to this new chapter and competing at the Enhanced Games. 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.”

Kerley, who claimed 100m bronze at the Paris 2025 Olympics and silver at Tokyo 2021, stands among the fastest men in history with a personal best of 9.76 seconds. Should he break Usain Bolt’s 9.58 world record at the Enhanced Games, he would be rewarded with $1 million (£730,000).

World Athletics has declined to comment on his move.

Kerley follows Olympic swimmer Ben Proud, who earlier this month became the first Briton to commit to the controversial competition. Proud’s decision came despite World Aquatics announcing lifetime bans from its events for athletes, coaches, and officials involved in the Enhanced Games.

UK Anti-Doping’s athletes’ commission has warned that the project represents a “reckless venture” and risks causing “irreparable damage” to global sport.

Kerley’s career has also attracted controversy off the track. He was arrested in Miami in January after an altercation with police, which he later dismissed as a “misunderstanding.” Reports at the time alleged he struck his former partner, hurdler Alaysha Johnson.

Beyond his Olympic medals, Kerley has won world titles in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays and remains one of the most decorated sprinters of his generation.