An American show! Really? After the release of the second edition of the Sprint series, Letsile Tebogo harshly chased it. The Olympic champion pointed his fingers at the unequal treatment carried out by the production house in directing the show. How? Tebogo felt that the African athletes received less or zero screen time in the docuseries whereas the American sprinters stole the entire focus. Notably, among the American sprinters, Noah Lyles appeared on the screen for the most minutes. Meanwhile, another African athlete made the same argument. 

Akani Simbine also claimed the show was full of partiality, revolving around a particular bunch of athletes. But folks, is it the actual picture? Well, an American track and field sports legend has something to add to the ongoing heated debate. The veteran laid out his statements based on two American sprinters, Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley. He sees a growing inequality there. Again, the same question rings: How? 

In his podcast, Ready Set Go, Justin Gatlin explained how Fred Kerley’s image was painted in the second installment of Sprint. He said the focus had always been less on the former world champion. “They spoke about Fred in season one; they made Fred seem like he was the guy who was up against Noah, and you didn’t; you didn’t know much about Fred, right like I felt like they could have talked more about how Fred became hit the champion,” Gatlin mentioned. 

In the conversation with Rodney Green, he further added, “They should have given him his flowers; they should have shown him his respect because that was a real competitor that Noah had to really go up against; it wasn’t just the guy who was just a 100-meter runner guy.” His words demonstrate the less focus on Kerley’s achievements in the show. However, since episode one of the second edition, there’s been a try to portray the 29-year-old as Noah’s fitting opponent.

In back-to-back scenes, the sprinting ace appears with his similar high-shoulder persona, throwing words at the Olympic champion in ripe moments. In one instance, Fred says, “I don’t think I came here for a fashion show. That’s Noah’s style.” He made those comments just before a pre-Olympics track event. Notably, Noah entered the scene with his classic model attire. But Kerley was in a formal suit. Meanwhile, the two-time Olympic medalist threw a few more fireballs. 

Ultimately, Fred said, “It’s weird, but that’s his [Noah Lyles] personality. Cocky, arrogant, and all that stuff.” Soon, he drew a line, saying, “I don’t do nothing for attention. I’m here to run fast and go on about my business.” That hypes everything. But does it end with the same momentum? Gatlin thinks otherwise. 

He argues, “I feel like that would have been a better dynamic. It have been a more respectful dynamic instead of just saying, ‘hey this is Fred, and this is Noah.’ you know what I’m saying like Fred dropped all the way down from the four to the two to the one… He proved everybody wrong and he ran faster than Noah.” Yet Lyles has the most number of entries in the show, compared to Fred. Rather, after the men’s 100m final, Fred fades away in the show. So doesn’t Gatlin’s logic hit at the root of the debate? Is it an American show anymore where one of the finest American athletes receives less screen time? Well, the man of the hour has a few things to share. 

Fred Kerley chases the production house, not Noah Lyles 

The first edition of Sprint came in July 2024. The second one was released in November. While the first one captures the happenings around the Budapest World Athletics Championships, the second one deals with the Paris Olympics and the related parts. However, Fred Kerley has had a few memorable happenings in these timelines, on and off-court. He had debates and performances as well. The graph, meanwhile, witnessed ups and downs. His story remained compelling as well. In the comparison, Noah Lyles has had thorough outings. He kept on the momentum and continued to build everything around it. In the end, he claimed the Olympic gold in Paris. However, Fred had the bronze. 

Could this be the reason he’s been sidelined in Sprint? The Olympian had his answers ready. Rather, much before November, Kerley cleared the air regarding his take on the Netflix docuseries. In a tête-à-tête with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green, he said, “This piece is put together in a way that’s not really meant to be. So this sh** is Hollywood. There’s nothing else to it. It’s cool for the sport, but it’s really not showing us because I feel way more stuff than what really is.” That explains Kerley’s mindset on the seriousness of the docuseries. Now, how would he react to watching himself in fewer scenes compared to Noah?