Kerley wins world 100m gold in US cleansweep

EUGENE

American Fred Kerley led a U.S. cleansweep as he stormed to victory in the men’s 100m at the World Championships in Oregon on July 16.

Kerley, in lane four, trailed Marvin Bracy for 95 meters of the tight race, but managed to outdip his teammate for victory in 9.86 seconds at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

Bracy took silver in 9.88sec, Trayvon Bromell claiming bronze in the same time for a third-ever 100m world championship cleansweep for the United States after 1983 and 1991.

The fourth of the strong U.S. quartet, Christian Coleman, the reigning world champion from Doha in 2019 who was banned from the Tokyo Olympics for missing three doping tests, finished sixth (10.01) despite an electric start.

“We said we were going to do it and we did! USA, baby!” Olympic silver medalist Kerley said to roars of approval and applause from a partisan home crowd.

Kerley has now set his sights on the 200m starting today, and is also not ruling out runs in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
“If the coach allows me!” Kerley told reporters.

In the women’s 10,000m, Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey upstaged Dutch star Sifan Hassan to win, while Poland’s Pawel Fajdek claimed his fifth world title in the men’s hammer throw.

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and teammate Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi claimed silver and bronze, Hassan finishing just off the pace in fourth.

In the field, it was business as usual as Fajdek claimed his fifth world title, stretching his remarkable record with a winning throw of 81.98 meters on this third effort.

That was 95cm ahead of compatriot and great rival Wojciech Nowicki, the reigning Olympic champion, while Norway’s Eivind Henriksen took bronze.