The fastest man in the world is an Aggie

After taking the silver medal at the Olympics in Tokyo, Texas A&M Aggie Fred Kerley can finally call himself the fastest man in the world after taking gold in the 100 meters with a time of 9.76 seconds at the World Athletics Championships Saturday night at Hayward Field in Oregon.

Regarded as one of the most versatile sprinters in the world, Kerley is the only man in world history to run sub-9.8-seconds in the 100m, sub-20 second in the 200m and sub-44 second in the 400m in their career. The victory marks the 27-year-old’s first career individual world championships gold medal and fifth overall. The Taylor, Texas, product earned gold (4x400m) and bronze (400m) at the 2019 outdoor world championships, a silver at the 2018 indoor world championships and silver at the 2017 outdoor world championships.

In addition to Kerley, two other Aggies advanced to the next round in their respective events, Lamara Distin in the women’s high jump and Moitalel Mpoke in the men’s 400m hurdles. Distin, representing Jamaica, cleared 6-2.75/1.90m to qualify for the finals, while Mpoke, running for Kenya, secured a spot in the semifinals after clocking 50.19.