Fred Kerley Lays Out Top End Goals for 2018 on Twitter

By Adam Kopet

Fred Kerley is one of the new big names in the 400 meters. In 2017, he won the NCAA and USATF 400 titles and went on to place seventh at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships.

Kerley took Friday to Twitter and gave voice to his top most goals for the outdoor season. Without a global championship to contend for, he can focus on time, specifically running under 43 seconds in the 400 and under 20 seconds in the 200. The 400-meter goal would mean breaking the world record set by Wayde van Niekerk at the 2016 Olympics.

I’m running 42 and 19 this year https://t.co/GQfOSnUdBi

— Fred Kerley (@fkerley99) March 23, 2018

Kerley currently holds personal bests of 43.70 in the 400 meters and 20.24 in the 200. The former broke the collegiate record last year and the latter was run into a headwind at the London Diamond League meeting.

Both goals would require significant improvement over his 2017 ability, but this is Kerley's first full year as a pro, meaning he will not need to worry about the NCAA schedule, which possibly had an effect on his World Championships performances last year.

Even if Kerley falls short of such lofty goals this year, he remains a bright spot in both the 400 and 200 going forward.

Kerley currently trains with the Altis training group.