Kerley cruises 9.88 on his 100m season debut in Yokohama

World champion Fred Kerley made his seasonal debut in the 100 metres clocking 9.88 in the heats to break the meeting record at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continenatl Tour Gold in Yokohama, Japan on Sunday (21). The US sprinter set the fastest season-opener of his career. Later on, he easily won the100m final in 9.91 after two recalls.

RESULTS

Kerley moves to second in the world seasonal list behind Ferdinand Omanyala, who clocked 9.84 into a headwind of -0.5 m/s in Nairobi last week. 

The American will face Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, Ferdinand Omanyala and Trayvon Bromell in two Wanda Diamond League races in Rabat (28 May) and Florence (2 June). 

Fred Kerley: “I ran a good time. It’s a good starting point for the rest of the season. I have to prepare mentally to deal with false starts. My game plan was to execute the race well. Training has been going good. My coach put me in good training sessions for the tie here. I am up for any challenge but my main goal is Budapest. Every small step is leading up to the World Championships this year, so every meeting I go to is all about execution, getting the right movements, the right motion for the big meet in Budapest. The big goal is the double gold at the World Championships. If I do everything right that’s what I want to end up with, a double gold medal. I am the fastest man in the world. No doubt about it and you will see it next Sunday in Rabat. That was my first 100m race of the season, so I can’t complain. I ended the 2022 season with 9.86 in Eugene, so I know what I have got to do. Paris is on my radar. The only thing I want out of the Olympic Games in Paris is the individual gold medal. I came up 0.04 short in Tokyo and I don’t plan on coming up short this time. Records came and go, but a gold medal lasts forever”.  

Australian 100m champion Rohan Browning finished second in 10.10. Ryuichiro Sakai claimed third place sharing the same time as Browning.

Men’s 110 metres hurdles: 

Shunsuke Izumyia won the men’s 110 metres hurdles in a world-class 13.07 missing his own national record by just one hundredth of a second. Izumiya has moved to second in the world seasonal list behind world champion Grant Holloway. 

Women’s javelin throw: 

Last year’s Commonwealth Games silver medallist Mackenzie Little improved her seasonal best to 64.10m  in her third attempt to win the women’s javelin throw. Little…