Fred Kerley banned for two years over anti-doping whereabouts failures
Former 100m world champion Fred Kerley has been banned for two years after a tribunal found he committed three anti-doping whereabouts failures.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirmed the sanction on Thursday, stating the American sprinter was found to be “negligent and, to a certain extent, reckless” regarding his obligations.
The 30-year-old’s period of ineligibility will run until 11 August 2027.
Kerley had been provisionally suspended by the AIU in August last year, causing him to miss the World Championships in Tokyo.
Tribunal findings and disqualification
The independent tribunal determined that Kerley recorded three whereabouts failures between 11 May and 6 December 2024.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code, athletes face a ban if they record three missed tests or filing failures within a rolling 12-month period.
Consequently, all competitive results achieved by the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist between 6 December 2024 and 12 August 2025 have been disqualified.
This retrospective action includes the forfeiture of any titles, ranking points, prize money, and prizes won during that timeframe.
The AIU noted that a Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal did not need to consider a fourth alleged failure on 7 December, as the violation was already established by the previous three instances.
‘Technical issues’ defence
Kerley did not dispute the whereabouts failure recorded on 13 June.
However, the Paris 2024 bronze medallist contested the other instances, attributing a missed test on 11 May to technical issues with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) app.
He further blamed the Doping Control Officer (DCO) for the missed tests occurring on 6 and 7 December.
Despite these claims, the tribunal ruled against the sprinter, noting that given his experience in the testing pool since 2017, he “should have exercised more care”.
In addition to the ban, the 2022 world champion has been ordered to pay World Athletics £3,000 to cover legal fees and expenses.
Integrity of the sport
Brett Clothier, head of the AIU, emphasised that strict adherence to whereabouts rules is essential for catching sophisticated doping violations.
“Unfortunately, sophisticated doping substances may only be detectable within an athlete’s sample for a few days or even hours after administration.”
Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU
“Anti-doping organisations need to be able to test athletes without notice on the day and hour of our choosing, otherwise anti-doping programmes will not work, and dopers will easily avoid detection.”
Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU
Clothier added that the rules remain fundamental to the integrity of the sport and must be respected by all competitors.
Enhanced Games context
Kerley had previously generated significant attention by becoming the first track athlete and American male to sign up for the controversial Enhanced Games.
That event, which proposes to allow performance-enhancing drugs, has drawn criticism from World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee.
The Texas-born athlete last competed at the Grand Sprint Series in Norwalk, California, in July 2025.
This decision is subject to appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
