2017 A few weeks after turning professional and signing with
Nike, Kerley won the 400 m at the
USATF Championships in 44.03 seconds, qualifying to represent the United States in both the 400 m and the relay at the
World Championships in
London. After winning his heat he finished third in his semi, but qualified for the final on time. In the final he was unable to replicate his form from earlier in the season, finishing seventh in a time of 45.23 s. He came back a day later to help the US qualify for the finals in the relay, and then a few days later earned a silver medal behind Trinidad and Tobago.
2018 Training under Kevin Tyler with widely renowned club ALTIS in
Phoenix, Arizona, Kerley finished 3rd in the 400m at the
2018 US Indoor Championships, failing to qualify for the individual 400m at the upcoming
World Indoor Championships but making it onto the 4 × 400 m relay team. There, he helped the team to a silver medal finish. Outdoors, Kerley ran several races across the international circuit, including a win in the 400 m at the
Rome Diamond League. However, none of his times came close to his 43.70 personal best. Despite suffering an injury in June, Kerley bounced back in August to win at the Birmingham Diamond League, before winning the
Diamond League trophy for the men's 400 meters in Zurich. After the season, he returned to Texas A&M to train under
Alleyne Francique, stating to
Track & Field News, "I believe in him so much that I had to come back to train with him." He won over 400 m at the
Shanghai Diamond League with a time of 44.81 s, and followed it up with another win at the Racers Grand Prix in
Kingston, Jamaica. A month later, Kerley won the US title in a new personal best of 43.64 seconds, making him the 7th fastest man on the all-time rankings at the time. At the
World Championships in
Doha, Kerley won the bronze medal in the 400 m with a time of 44.17 s. He also helped the US to win gold in the men's 4 × 400 m relay.
2021 After the
COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 season and delayed the
2020 Summer Olympics by a year, Kerley kicked off his 2021 season with several 100 m races in order to work on his speed for the longer sprint; he broke the historic
10-second barrier at the TRUfit Classic in
Miami on April 24, winning in 9.91 s (+2.0 m/s). On May 19, he won the men's 100 m in 9.96 s at the
Golden Spike in
Ostrava, finishing ahead of former
Olympic and
World champion
Justin Gatlin who settled for second in 10.08 s. Kerley also ran in the 200 m where he placed second with a time of 20.27 s, trailing
Kenny Bednarek from the start who won in 19.93 s. According to
Reuters, Kerley was satisfied with his performances, but thought there was more work to do in his 200 m and his focus for the
Olympic Trials would be 400 m. However, despite finishing third over 400 m at the
Doha Diamond League and winning at the
FBK Games, he decided to focus on the 100 m and 200 m at the Trials due to his ankle swelling on the turns. Kerley also stated that the popularity of the 100 m was another factor in his switch. Despite online backlash for his decision, Kerley silenced doubters by finishing third in the 100 m at the Trials, qualifying for his first Olympic team. In the 200 m, Kerley struggled through the rounds due to the turns and their impact on his ankles, and he narrowly qualified for the final on time. However, he managed to finish an impressive fourth with his first sub-20 s performance; this made him the 3rd athlete to join the "Sub 10s, 20s, 44s club for the 100m, 200m & 400m sprints", behind
400 m World Record holder
Wayde van Niekerk &
Michael Norman. At the
Olympics in
Tokyo, Kerley won the silver medal in the 100 m, finishing behind
Marcell Jacobs. He also ran in the heats of the relay as the US were eliminated in the heats. Following the Olympics, Kerley placed second at the
Prefontaine Classic over 100 m and at the
Laussane Diamond League over 200 m. He set a new personal best of 19.79 s over 200 m in winning the
Paris Diamond League. At the
Diamond League Final in
Zurich, Kerley won the 100 m in a time of 9.87 s and placed third over 200 m in 19.83 s. He ended his season in September by winning over 200 m at the Kip Keino Classic in
Nairobi, running a time of 19.79 s.
2022 In April, Kerley won over 200 m at the
USATF Golden Games in 19.80 s, narrowly beating
Michael Norman who ran 19.83 s. On 13 May, Kerley competed in his first Diamond League of the season in
Doha, placing second in the 200 m. He also placed second over 100 m at the
Prefontaine Classic, running 9.98 s to finish behind
Trayvon Bromell. On 28 May, Kerley won the 100 m at the
Rome Diamond League in 9.92 s. At the
2022 US Outdoor Championships, Kerley won the 100 m in 9.77 seconds. Kerley ran 9.76 seconds, a personal best, in the semi-final. He went on to place third in the 200 m in 19.83 seconds. While competing in the
2022 World Athletics Championships, Kerley won his maiden individual
World Championship gold medal in the
100 m. In the final, Kerley pipped compatriot
Marvin Bracy on the line with a time of 9.86 seconds to win. Fellow American
Trayvon Bromell finished third, completing a clean sweep. He was knocked out of the 200 m in the semi-final.
2023 Kerley enjoyed a strong start to his 2023 season, taking home a win over 100 m at the
Golden Grand Prix in
Yokohama as well as in the
Rabat, and
Florence Diamond Leagues, he also won over 200 m at the
Doha Diamond League. At the
US Outdoor Championships, Kerley contested only the 200 m as he had already qualified for the 100 m at the
2023 World Championships due to being the reigning World Champion. He placed fourth in the final of the 200 m to
Erriyon Knighton,
Kenny Bednarek, and
Courtney Lindsey. Later in July, he placed second over 100 m in the
Silesia Diamond League. Kerley went out in the semi-finals of the 100 m at the
2023 World Athletics Championships. However, he earned gold as a member of the USA's relay team. In September, soon after his third-place finish in the
Xiamen Diamond League 100 m, Kerley announced that he was no longer coached by
Alleyne Francique and would be coached by
Quincy Watts, the Director of Track and Field at the University of Southern California.
2024–present On 4 February, Kerley ran a personal best of 6.55 s over 60 m at the
New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. In a tweet on May 14, Kerley announced that the next time he raced the 100 meter distance, he planned to break
Usain Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds. On June 9, Kerley was scheduled to compete in the 100 meters at the
New York City Grand Prix, but forfeited the race due to apparent faulty starting blocks. After the race, he parted ways with his sponsor
Asics. On June 23, Kerley finished third in the 100 meter final at the
U.S. Olympic Trials, behind
Noah Lyles and
Kenny Bednarek. At the
2024 Summer Olympics, Kerley was the bronze medalist in the
100 meters, finishing in a time of 9.81 seconds behind
Kishane Thompson and Noah Lyles. On August 25, Kerley set a new meet record in the 100 meters at the
Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, with a time of 9.87 seconds. At the
Diamond League Final in
Brussels, Kerley placed third over 100 m and fifth over 200 m. In September 2024, it was announced that he had signed up for the inaugural season of the
Michael Johnson founded
Grand Slam Track. He competed in the
Kingston Slam but missed the
Miami Slam due to being arrested and charged with battery on . He was later released on bond. In July 2025, Kerley announced that he would miss the
2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Following a provisional suspension by the
Athletics Integrity Unit that commenced in August 2025, Kerley was issued a two-year ban set to expire in August 2027 by the
United States Anti-Doping Agency for whereabouts failures, i.e. missing three doping tests. All of his results from December 2024 to August 2025 were disqualified. In September 2025, it was announced that he was joining the
Enhanced Games. ==Statistics==