It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.<\/span><\/p>\n That was certainly true when Fred Kerley chased down the field to claim victory over 200m in last week’s Diamond League opener in Doha.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n It also epitomises the world 100m champion’s personal story.<\/span><\/p>\n By his own admission, the 27-year-old’s childhood was “rough”.<\/span><\/p>\n Adopted by his Auntie, Kerley grew up in the small city of Taylor, near Austin, Texas, in a house with 13 children living under one roof.<\/span><\/p>\n “I have always been running for something bigger than myself,” Kerley tells BBC Sport.<\/span><\/p>\n “Each and every day is a blessing. I know I need to work, and work, and work, no matter what.”<\/span><\/p>\n It is that mindset which ensured he could overcome his humble beginnings and reach the top step of a global podium.<\/span><\/p>\n “I don’t want anyone in my household having to worry about where the next meal is coming from, like I did,” Kerley says.<\/span><\/p>\n “I know in my footsteps right now people have my background but they don’t have no outlet for themselves.”<\/span><\/p>\n He adds: “Hopefully I can be an example that you can keep on going no matter what.”<\/span><\/p>\n Kerley embodied that in a literal sense in Eugene last summer, when he led an American clean sweep of the men’s 100m medals on home soil to win his first individual global title.<\/span><\/p>\n He did so despite running with an injury – although that issue ultimately ended his hopes of a repeat success in the 200m.<\/span><\/p>\n But this year, in Budapest, he will seek to achieve that individual world sprint double – a feat he believes would raise his status in the sport to another level.<\/span><\/p>\n “The most important thing for me is double gold,” says Kerley, not yet allowing thoughts of Paris 2024 to enter his mind.<\/span><\/p>\n “Staying healthy will be the key to success. Track and field can be overwhelming sometimes,” he adds, emphasising the importance of both his physical and mental wellbeing.<\/span><\/p>\n “It would put me up there with some elite athletes.”<\/span><\/p>\n One man who will hope to deny Kerley in his quest for gold is Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Italy’s surprise Olympic 100m champion.<\/span><\/p>\n Kerley had to settle for silver by four hundredths of a second on his major championship debut at the Tokyo Games, before upgrading his medal in the absence of the injured Jacobs at last year’s Worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n Set for a fascinating battle for global supremacy in August, recent social media exchanges have fuelled excitement of a burgeoning rivalry, with Kerley challenging Jacobs to an unprecedented one-on-one race but adding he did not know if his rival would “show up”.<\/span><\/p>\n Jacobs responded on Instagram with a picture of his Olympic victory, accompanied by the words: “Whenever you want, wherever you want. But remember that when it mattered more it ended like this.”<\/span><\/p>\n It has since been announced that Kerley will have his opportunity to compete against Jacobs at two upcoming Diamond League meets – in Rabat on 28 May and Florence on 2 June.<\/span><\/p>\n “As a human being, I give the guy all my respect,” says Kerley, discussing his feelings towards Jacobs.<\/span><\/p>\n “As a track athlete, I’m competitive and I’m ready to compete on any given day.<\/span><\/p>\n “This is what we do for a living. I know what I’m capable of doing. I’m here to compete and get my name out there for bigger things.”<\/span><\/p>\n He adds: “One-on-one stuff would be good for the sport.”<\/span><\/p>\n The idea of a head-to-head contest is in part driven by Kerley’s vision of what the future of the sport could look like.<\/span><\/p>\n The enormous success of Formula 1’s behind-the-scenes Netflix series Drive to Survive, familiarising the audience with the sport’s personalities, has offered a blueprint for success as athletics seeks to appeal to a global audience with changing demands – in a bid to attract a loyal, year-round following.<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s getting the revenue to do it,” says Kerley. “We could be an F1, I would say. [A Netflix-style series] would definitely be beneficial to the sport itself.<\/span><\/p>\n “People that don’t follow athletics, they just tune in for the Olympic Games.<\/span><\/p>\n “We are bigger than the Olympic Games. The NBA has the Championships, the NFL has the Super Bowl. We do more stuff outside the Olympic Games that deserves more recognition.<\/span><\/p>\n “Everyone in the world don’t know who I am – but everybody knows who LeBron James is. <\/span><\/p>\n “To grow our names and grow the sport you have to step outside of the norm that we’ve been doing for years and years, getting the same results.”<\/span><\/p>\n When Kerley is not having to think about training and competing, it is time spent gardening which brings the world champion serenity.<\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, a key lesson that has underpinned the American’s rise to global stardom is one which he says is central to that particular pastime.<\/span><\/p>\n “It shows you nothing comes overnight, just like in track and field,” Kerley says.<\/span><\/p>\n “You’ve got to work; you have to make sure you water it. <\/span><\/p>\n “You have to do all these little things which lead to something bigger.”<\/span><\/p>\n Equally, Kerley says, gardening simply helps take his mind off the “stress” of his sporting endeavours. <\/span><\/p>\n Welcoming comparisons to Usain Bolt, given his background as a former world bronze medal-winning 400m runner, Kerley has no doubts about his ability to achieve his grand targets.<\/span><\/p>\n Emboldened by the thrill of his breakthrough triumph on home soil, Kerley – only the third man in history to run under 10, 20 and 44 seconds for the 100m, 200m and 400m respectively – will aim to emulate Bolt by becoming the first man to complete a world sprint double since the Jamaican in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n And for Kerley, it really is all about the medals.<\/span><\/p>\n “Medals last forever, times come and go,” Kerley says.<\/span><\/p>\n “On any given day a time can be broken. Medals last for generations to come.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Fred](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/624\/cpsprodpb\/10131\/production\/_129614856_gettyimages-1241948126.jpg\")
<\/span><\/span>![\"Lamont](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/624\/cpsprodpb\/7E59\/production\/_129654323_gettyimages-1234378449.jpg\")
<\/span><\/span>![\"Fred](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/624\/cpsprodpb\/194B\/production\/_129657460_gettyimages-1409217677.jpg\")
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