American Fred Kerley won gold in the 100 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in the night from Saturday to Sunday. With silver for Marvin Bracy and bronze for Trayvon Bromell, there was an all-American podium on the king number.
Kerley dethroned his compatriot Christian Coleman, who was the fourth American in the final. The 2019 world champion in Doha disappointed with a fifth place in 10.01.
Kerley, 27, ran 9.86 and was only slightly faster than Bracy and Bromell, who both clocked 19.88. On the basis of two thousandths, Bracy finished second. Jamaican Oblique Seville was the only non-American in the top five in fourth place.
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs was missing in the final. The Italian had withdrawn just before the semi-finals earlier in the day with a thigh injury.
Kerley remains far from world record
Kerley was considered a favorite for the title, given his 9.76 he ran at Hayward Field Stadium in Eugene earlier this year. He lived up to those expectations, although 9.86 is not a fast time for a World Cup final. In the morning session, Kerley was much faster at 9.79. The world record has been held by Usain Bolt since 2009 with 9.58. A time where the current generation has not yet come close.
The crowd in the stadium reacted franticly as Kerley crossed the line first, just ahead of Bracy and Bromell.
The Americans have dominated the 100 meters for some time. Kerley is the third US sprinter in a row to become world champion. For Coleman in 2019, Justin Gatlin was fastest at the 2017 World Cup in London, ending Bolt’s hegemony.