American sprinter Fred Kerley provisionally suspended for anti-doping ‘whereabouts failures’

MONACO (AP) — U.S. Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley has been provisionally suspended for “whereabouts failures” under the sport’s anti-doping rules, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Tuesday.

Lawyers for the 30-year-old Kerley hit back in a statement posted on the athlete’s account on X.

“Fred Kerley has already notified the AIU that he intends to contest the allegation that he has violated the anti-doping rules related to whereabouts failures, as he strongly believes that one of (or) more of his alleged missed tests should be set aside either because he was not negligent or because the Doping Control Officer did not do what was reasonable under the circumstances to locate him at his designated location,” the statement said.

It added: “Fred will not comment further at this time out of respect for the process, and looks forward to presenting his case to the appointed hearing panel.”

Kerley won the Olympic silver medal in the 100 meters at the Tokyo Games and the bronze in Paris last year. He has also earned six medals at the track and field world championships.

“You can try to break me in the storm, but all you’re doing is giving me a better story at the finish line,” Kerley later posted on the same account.

In May, Kerley was charged in Florida with punching a woman, a hurdler who also competed in the Olympics. That came just a few months after he was arrested for allegedly punching a Miami Beach police officer on Jan. 2, an incident in which police used a Taser on him.

His lawyers say Kerley is innocent of those charges.

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