•Kerley said he is ready for the fierce competition with the Olympic champion on Saturday
•The American tipped his hat off to Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala
•The 4x400m relay world champion says his major concern is adding more gold to his medal collection
Image: ERICK BARASA
Olympic 100m silver medalist Fred Kerley says he is more than ready for his showdown with Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs at the Kip Keino Classic on Saturday.
The American lost to the Italian at last year's Tokyo Olympics and this year's edition of the World Continental Tour Gold has been labeled as a chance for Kerley to revenge for that loss.
"I’m born ready for the competition. I love to compete and that is what I’m here for...to compete with the best. I expect it should be a fast race and a fun race at the same time," the 400m world bronze medalist said.
This is his second visit to the country, having competed in the men's 200m at last year's edition at the Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
Apart from Jacobs, Kerley will also be battling against Olympic 200m silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek and Tokyo Olympic semi-finalist, Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala.
The American tipped his hat off to Africa's fastest man, describing him as a sprinter whose career is on the up and is bound to reach greater heights.
"He is a cool guy who has been running some wonderful times. Last year at Kasarani, he ran 9.77, which was a really fast time. The stadium is nice...last time I had a wonderful experience and so I am looking forward to running against him and the others," Kerley said.
This year's competition, the last of the three-leg series, will be the first time fans will be allowed into the stadium after the previous two editions were held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kerley said he can't wait to interact with the passionate home crowd on his second visit to the Kenyan capital.
"I really loved the energy that was at the stadium when I competed here last year. Kenya is a nice place and I am happy to be here once again. I heard there are going to be fans in the stadium this time around so that should be really exciting," he said.
He will be hopeful of coming away from Nairobi with another record after he clocked a personal best of 19.76 in the men's 200m in September last year.
However, the 4x400m relay world champion, says his major concern is adding more gold to his medal collection.
"Records don't mean anything unless you are winning gold. In track and field, what matters the most is how many wins you have. Records will always be broken but if you don't have titles to your name then it means nothing," Kerley said.
The American is expected to star in the Diamond League series as well as the World Championship in Oregon and Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.