US sprinter Kerley makes coaching change ahead of 2024 Olympics
26th September 2023
The American will now be coached by 1992 Olympic 400m champion Quincy Watts in Los Angeles.
- The 28-year-old Texan had previously been coached by Alleyne Francique.
- 1992 Olympic 400m champion Quincy Watts will take over from Francique.
- Kerley makes the changes after failing to make the 100m final at the World Championships in Budapest in August.
US sprinter
Fred Kerley announced he is changing coaches ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics
after failing to defend his 100m crown at last month's World Championships held
in Budapest.
Kerley, who
won gold in the 100m at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and silver in
the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, said he will now be coached by 1992 Olympic
400m champion Quincy Watts in Los Angeles.
The
28-year-old Texan, who failed to make the 100m final at the World Championships
in Budapest in August, had previously been coached by Alleyne Francique.
"Choosing
to make changes is always risky, even riskier during a year like the
Olympics," Kerley wrote in a post on Instagram.
"I
felt that I needed to bet on myself. I needed to prove to myself that I was all
in and that meant seeking the guidance of Coach Watts.
"I'm
entrusting him to bring out the best version of myself in the most important
athletic year of my career. Ya'll ready?"
Watts, a coach at the University of Southern California, also coaches US 400m hurdles star Rai Benjamin.
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