It started with a question from 2016 Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medalist Ashley Spencer.
She posted from her @theTrackQueen account on X, “will the world ever see a @fkerley99 back in the quarter?”
Spencer tagged U.S. sprinter Fred Kerley, who was primarily a 400m — or “quarter” mile — sprinter early in his career. Kerley called the 400m his “main event” as recently as 2021, but he has since focused on shorter sprints, winning the 100m silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and the 100m bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
American 400m sprinter Vernon Norwood saw Spencer’s post and reposted it, adding “When I started running faster you notice he stepped down to 100m. That’s all you needed to know.”
Kerley quickly fired back at Norwood, responding within 20 minutes with a post that said “I drop 43 on your head.”
Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Watch all the action from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games live on Peacock
Kerley was referencing his 400m personal best, 43.64 seconds, the eight-fastest 400m ever. Norwood has never run a 400m under 44 seconds, with his personal best being 44.10 seconds.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
A few minutes later, Kerley dropped another hammer, posting a screenshot from the World Athletics website showing that he has won seven of his eight head-to-head 400m races against Norwood.
Kerley will likely return to the Paris Olympics track for the 4x100m relay on Thursday.
Norwood won a silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay in Paris. He could return to the track for the men’s 4x400m relay on Friday.
