Were Fred Kerley and Sha'Carri Richardson Successful in 2024?

back in late April I did a video asking if sha Richardson and Fred Curley were in trouble well both had competed at a few meets early on in the season most notably at the two Diamond League meets out in China shimen on April 20th and shuo on April 27th of course I made a trillion videos since then on both the men's and the women's 100 meter dashes and throughout the season we've seen exactly how their year played out for both Fred and Shaker but I did just want to quickly look back and kind of highlight how despite not winning gold maybe not set personal best and all that they both had some very very good 2024 seasons for various different reasons despite again the slower starts a year first off I stand by my original video that their results early on definitely raised some questions about their current status I gave the caveat that it was very early and things could change as the season progressed which of course they exactly did that right but let's quickly break down their 2024 seasons and why they actually turned out to be very very successful first off shakeri bridson now this may be a bit out of the norm I don't know but seems like many people are a little more critical of Shaker since she actually didn't win that 100 met Olympic gold but I honestly think this was a really really good year for her despite the subpar 200 meter races up in China early on once shakeri got back to United States she immediately hit her stride 10. 83 seconds to win the Prefontaine classic over what was probably the deepest 100 meter field up to that point that indicated she was in excellent form and not only ready to make Team USA but also challenged for an Olympic gold medal at those a Olympic trials she did kind of struggle a bit through the rounds right not with her times but specifically with her start shaker has never really had a great start but because she's so talented she's been able to make up for it in the second half of her race right with that Immaculate top end speed let's just call it out but despite those slow starts sha ran 10. 8 through every round at USA's capping off the 100 meters at trials with a best of 10.

71 seconds World leading performance the second fastest time of her career only behind that 10. 65 to win worlds in 2023 so on paper in my opinion shakeri was the favorite for the gold medal and she was on track to run another 10. 6 time later that year now at that point shakeri had four of the top eight performances in the world that year and even after Jamaican trials which were a few days later she still had three of the top seven performances was probably her closest competition entering the Olympic Games being Julian Alfred from St Lucia with her 10.

78 which she ran a couple weeks earlier now shakeri did run the 200 meters at the Olympic trials and she hit her personal best of 21. 92 in the semi-finals but she did finish fourth in the final failing to make the US Olympic team there but I don't think that had much bearing on her future Olympic results in the 100 now unlike 2023 jaker decided to not compete at any meets between trials and the Olympic Games and just stay focused 100% on Paris well at those Olympic Games Shaker start unfortunately did kind of catch up with her and honestly she struggled to get out the blocks officially through any of the rounds right now though she did run 10. 9 in the Heats and 10.

89 in the semi-finals she went on to win the silver medal in the 100 running 10. 87 seconds behind Julian Alfred's Immaculate 10. 72 for the Olympic gold but as I said Shaker starts were atrocious right 0.

221 in the final as her reaction 0. 191 in the semis 0. 20 in the Heats if you look at any reactions throughout the entire 100 meter rounds or all the Heats at the Olympic Games she was probably some of the slowest had some of the slowest reaction times you know throughout but to be clear I don't think shary would have beat Julian Julian right Julian was going to beat anyone that day she was not losing but shakeri did leave a lot on the table regardless though she earned her first ever Olympic medal with that 100 meter silver now she followed that up with a gold medal in the 4x1 along with what Melissa Jefferson TT Terry Gabby Thomas and then post Olympics she did compete at the Zurich Diamond league as well as the Brussels Diamond League to cap off her 2024 season in Zurich she actually took the win ahead of Julian Alfred running 10.

84 seconds but in Brussels man she was completely out of it right from the start and then what she finished in eighth place 11. 23 seconds so that that was whatever but on on a whole right 2024 recap for shakeri ended the year with an Olympic silver in the 100 Olympic gold in the 4x1 at her first Olympic Games 100 meter World lead of 10. 71 her second fastest time ever and then she also had three of the top seven times in the world and four of the top 11 times that kind of depth was only bettered by Julian Alfred she also had two Diamond League wins over 100 meters which also is equal with Julian Alfred for the most throughout all the diamond leagues in the year this in my opinion was a very successful year specifically when comparing it to 2023 right it may not have been the most highs of winning gold running 107 more times hitting our personal best of 106 but in the grand scheme of Shaker's career especially when we look at 2019 2021 2022 this was way more successful than any of those years one thing to really keep in mind is for us to kind of expect that linear progression year after year for every athlete is pretty unrealistic right we of course we have these desires to always see these Fast Times from athletes year in year out all the time right but that can kind of cloud our understanding of what a successful season can actually look like so just kind of keep that in mind when we're reflecting a little bit on shary's 2024 but let's move over to Fred Curley now Fred Curley actually ended off the 2023 season switching Co is moving over from Alien Fran moved out to California to now be coached by Quincy Watts at the top of 2024 Fred made his 60m indoor debut which I actually thought was pretty good he ran what 6.

55 seconds pretty good but after competing in a few early season meets Outdoors including those 200 meter races in China things started to be a bit more questionable for Fred now he did run a pretty decent 200 meters in Jamaica but after that he went on Twitter and claimed he would break the 100 meter world record the next time he touches the track obviously that didn't happen he did say he hasn't touched a track yet but we'll leave that alone he then was slated to run at the Oslo and Stockholm Diamond leagues but pulled out of them which is you know kind of funny right I think 2023 him and Marcel were going back and forth Marcel was pulling out of meets whatever right things did progress for Fred but immediately after that things did kind of you know get a little questionable New York City Grand Prix on June 9th Fred actually showed up and he lined up ready to race in the 100 met Dash but this arguably was the definition of what all hell breaking loose right check out the article Linked In the description from Chris Chavez at CD smag he was reporting it live while we were on the ground there actually in communication with you know a lot of people but essentially Fred parted ways with his sponsor at as6 right he'd been sponsored with as6 since I think early in 2023 but when he was lining up in the 100 meters in New York City he was actually wearing Puma spikes but on two occasions he slipped out of the blocks and then eventually never even ran the race we did speak to him a little bit after and he was pretty much UNF bed about everything and you know heading into trials he was good he was ready no pressure do you feel any pressure going into trials pressure no pressure is uh building up towards this pressure is uh not knowing where you can sleep at at night that's pressure track and feels not pressure is is is his lifestyle well entering trials he had a best of 10. 03 seconds which made him the 14th fastest American entering the 100 meter dash at trials but Fred stepped up to the plate big time he ran a windy 9. 89 in in the semi-finals and then 9.

88 in the finals to comfortably finish third place and earn a spot on his second Olympic team and fourth consecutive Global 100 meter team now similar to shakeri Fred skipped out on any meets after the trials and his sole Focus was the Paris Olympic Games well enter Paris this is where he once again stepped up and shined on the biggest stage 9. 97 in the Heats 9. 84 in the semis and then 9.

81 in the final to win a bronze medal in the 100 m Dash in what his fourth fastest performance of his entire career and also shout out to the immaculate reaction time 0. 108 from the blocks Fred was kind of cooking that was crazy but let me add a little bit more context here as well Andre degrass Justin Gatlin Usain B morrice Green Otto Balden Frankie Fredericks Carl Lewis Lyford Christie Lennox Miller Ralph mcaf what will they all have in common all are legends in the sport and Fred adds his name to that list of guys who have won multiple 100 meter medals at the Olympic games crazy right now the 4x1 obviously didn't go the way for the United States but Fred still left Paris with another piece of Hardware to add to his collection after the Olympics he went onto the circuit and he grabbed 100 meter win at the celesia diamond league right he ran 9. 87 seconds then he got third place in Rome and third place in Brussels even more notable to me personally though his 200 meter performances 19.

86% W season's best getting progressively better I mean how'd that feel out there it feel it feel like I ran but that's the uh whole staying grounded and being disciplined so 1981 uh third two in season I think I take that I haven't Peak yet so on to next season with 200 so think playy so let's recap Fred Curley's 2024 season he ended the year with an Olympic bronze medal in the 100 meter dash winning his second consecutive Olympic medal 100 met best of 9.