(Photo credit score: Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images)
American Olympic-medal profitable sprinter Fred Kerley is preventing his provisional suspension for violating anti-doping whereabouts guidelines.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) introduced the suspension on Tuesday. Three missed drug assessments or whereabouts failures over 12 months are deemed to be a violation.
According to the group, a whereabouts failure happens when athletes fail to supply, or replace, their location to be reached for out-of-competition testing. The sanction is 2 years of ineligibility or a discount to at the very least 12 months, relying on their stage of fault.
‘(Kerley) strongly believes that one (or) extra of his alleged missed assessments ought to be put aside both as a result of he was not negligent or as a result of the Doping Control Officer didn’t do what was affordable beneath the circumstances to find him at his designated location,’ learn a press release from the workplace of Los Angeles-area legal professional Howard L. Jacobs. ‘Fred won’t remark additional right now out of respect for the method, and appears ahead to presenting his case to the appointed listening to panel.’
The assertion was posted to Kerley’s X account on Tuesday.
Kerley gained the bronze medal within the 100-meter on the 2024 Paris Olympics and a silver within the occasion on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He additionally has gained 5 whole medals on the previous 4 world championships in both particular person or relay occasions.
A 30-year-old Texas native, Kerley pulled out of the USA Track and Field Championships final month, citing a troublesome yr.
‘The 100m ought to be a straight dash. 2025 has introduced many hurdles. Taking a while out to get again on monitor. No USATF Champs this yr. Thanks to all my supporters,’ he posted.
Kerley was arrested in Florida in May and charged with contact or strike battery after his former girlfriend alleged he struck her within the face with a closed fist.
At the time, his legal professional informed The Athletic that Kerley was arrested with no ‘thorough investigation.’
‘Fred by no means battered anybody,’ Richard L. Cooper mentioned in a press release to The Athletic. ‘We are centered on working with prosecutors to indicate that this arrest was a mistake and no fees ought to be filed. I’m assured in that aim.’
–Field Level Media