Switching their event to the 400m at different meets, Fred Kerley and Noah Lyles dropped impressive personal best times to keep their intense rivalry alive ahead of the US Championships in July.
Racing in the 400m for the first time since 2023, Fred Kerley cruised to a resounding victory at the Mt. SAC Relays as Olympic champion Noah Lyles settled for a fifth-place finish in the same event at the Tom Jones Invitational.
The two-time Olympic medallist channeled his early quarter-mile years that saw him with a personal best of 43.64s set in 2019, power round the track to the brilliant time of 44.73s ahead of Jayden Davis (Arizona), who ran 44.84s, while Johnnie Blockburger was third in 45.26s.
Kerley’s victory was a bounce back from his poor outing at the Grand Slam Track in Kingston, where he failed to secure a top-three finish in the 100m and 200m events.
Fred Kerley
Paris Olympic bronze medalist Fred Kerley won his first 400m race in two years Paris Olympic bronze medalist Fred Kerley
Tweeting via his X page after his 400m success, the former world champion wrote: “44.73 light work,” and fans have called on him to focus more on the event, where he has a better chance of being among the greats in history.
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Meanwhile, Lyles tasted a lukewarm defeat in the 400m at the Tom Jones Invitational, having finished fifth clocking a personal best time of 45.87s.
However, he’ll take solace in the fact that it was his first-ever pro race in the event since his high school days in 2016 and he massively lowered his Personal Best (PB) from 47.04s.
Noah Lyles lost his season opener in the 400m event
Jacory Patterson won the race in a new PB of 44.27s ahead of Justin Robinson in 45.22s, while Kennedy Lightner and Alonso Russell respectively finished in third and fourth clocking 45.64s and 45.82s.
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