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U.S. track star Fred Kerley is provisionally suspended for missing three out-of-competition drug tests within a 12-month period, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced. The violation, known as “whereabouts failures” under anti-doping rules, could lead to a two-year ban. Kerley, 30, won silver in the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and bronze in Paris last summer. He also captured the 100-meter world title in 2022 and has six world championship medals overall.
Through attorney Howard Jacobs, Kerley vowed to contest the charge. In a statement posted to his social media account, Jacobs said the sprinter “strongly believes that one or more of his alleged missed tests should be set aside either because he was not negligent or because the Doping Control Officer did not do what was reasonable under the circumstances to locate him at his designated location.”
Kerley will not comment further “out of respect for the process,” Jacobs said, adding that the sprinter looks forward to presenting his case to the appointed hearing panel.
Under anti-doping rules, athletes must provide updated details of their whereabouts for testing, including a one-hour time slot each day. Three missed tests or filing failures in a 12-month period count as an anti-doping violation.
Kerley posted a brief message on social media Tuesday after the AIU announcement: “You can try to break me in the storm, but all you’re doing is giving me a better story at the finish line.”
Kerley has been one of the sport’s most consistent sprinters in recent years, winning gold in the 4×400-meter relay at the 2019 world championships and gold in the 4×100 relay in 2023. He also anchored the U.S. 4×100 team in Paris, which was disqualified after a botched handoff.
The suspension is the latest setback in a turbulent year for Kerley. In May, he was charged in Florida with punching a woman, a fellow Olympian hurdler. That followed a January arrest in Miami Beach, Fla. Police alleged he struck an officer during an altercation. His lawyers have maintained he is innocent in both cases.