RABAT, MOROCCO – Taylor’s own and 2022 World Championship winner Fred Kerley was victorious in the 100-meter dash Sunday, May 28, at the Rabat Diamond League against top competition at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
The standout sprinter set a new meet record with a blistering mark of 9.94 seconds to edge Akani Simbine of South Africa in second and Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya in third.
“Only thing that’s weighed on my shoulders is all about execution,” Kerley said to the media after the race. “You know what you’ve got to do, and the biggest task is to get the W at the end of the day.”
Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, who was supposed to enter this race as the Olympic gold medalist paired against Kerley the world champion, withdrew late in the week due to nerve pain.
“At the end of the day, I can’t really worry about the next person,” Kerley said of Jacob’s withdrawal in Rabat. “I hope he is healthy and gets ready for the next competition if he’s available.”
Also competing against Kerley Sunday was former Baylor University star and 2022 World Championship bronze medalist Trayvon Bromell, Yohan Blake of Jamaica, Lestile Tebogo of Botswana, Jeremiah Azu of Great Britain, Mouhamadou Fall of France and Chakir Machmour of Morocco.
As was the case heading into May 28 in Rabat, the focus will again be on Kerley and Jacobs ahead of the next 100-meter on June 2 held in Florence, Italy. Kerley is off to a superb start for the 2023 season as he has run under 9.95 seconds in all three 100-meter races he entered.
