Fred Kerley (Photo by Erik van Leeuwen)
Two-time Olympic medalist Fred Kerley is the first track athlete to confirm his appearance at the Enhanced Games next year.
A member of the three US Olympic 4 x 100m golf medal winning teams, Kerly is provisionally suspended for an alleged anti-doping whereabouts violation and therefore not competing in the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
“I’m looking forward to this new chapter and competing at the Enhanced Games,” said Kerley.
“The World Record has always been the ultimate goal of my career. This now gives me the opportunity to dedicate all my energy to pushing my limits and becoming the fastest human to ever live.”
Kerley’s accomplishments on the track are remarkable. He is a two-time medalist in the 100m, earning a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Games. He also claimed the 100m gold medal at the 2022 World Championships.
Kerley has won multiple relay medals at the World Championships and is one of only three men in history to have run sub-10 seconds in the 100m, sub-20 seconds in the 200m, and sub-44 seconds in the 400m.
He becomes the first non-swimmer to officially join the Enhanced Games. He joins a list of elite athletes, amongst Olympic silver medalist Ben Proud, 50m freestyle world record holder Kristian Gkolomeev, and others.
“We are thrilled to see such an elite track athlete like Fred join the Enhanced Games, and pursue breaking a world record that hasn’t been touched in 16 years”said Maximilian Martin, CEO of the Enhanced Games. “Fred’s choice to compete with us not only demonstrates our goal of hosting the most exciting athletic competitions out there, but also solidifies the growing appeal of the Enhanced Games as the future of elite sporting competition.”
The inaugural Enhanced Games will take place on May 24, 2026 and will be held at a purpose-built competition complex at Resorts World Las Vegas. The state-of-the-art facility will feature a four-lane 50-meter pool, a six-lane sprint track, and a bespoke weightlifting stage. Every event will be streamed globally in a digital format designed to transform the way audiences experience sport.
The Enhanced Games offers unprecedented financial incentives for athletes. Each individual event will carry a total prize purse of $500,000, with $250,000 awarded to first place.
In addition to this, the Enhanced Games will offer appearance fees in the 100m sprint and 50m freestyle – recognized as the definitive tests of raw human speed.
If Kerley were to run quicker than Usain Bolt’s 100m record of 9.58 seconds, he would also receive $1m (£730,000) in prize money.
