Fred Kerley, world champion in the 100m triplex at the 18th World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, thinks his “future looks bright” as he had a difficult childhood.

Q: What does it mean to you to achieve your first triple in the men’s 100m since 1991 and Carl Lewis as an award on American soil?

Answer: “It’s great to achieve what the legends have done. They did it (Carl Lewis, Leroy Borrell, Dennis Mitchell) in 1991, we did it in 2022. It’s great to do it on American soil with the fans behind us. I did my work today (Saturday). I didn’t know I had won until I looked up and saw a big clock in the stadium with my name on it. This means a lot to me. I did what few Runners can do. I ran 100m and 200m and long jump. In high school and high school, I went back to my childhood love.”

Question: Tell us about the importance of your aunt who raised you to your success…

Answer: I think about it every day, because without it I would not be talking to you now. She gave her life for me, my brothers, sisters and cousins. We were all adopted by our aunt, we were 13. We had one room and we all slept 13 people. There were 26 children in the house. It’s great that you have achieved something that only a few people on my site have achieved. I thank her for giving me the means to succeed in my life. She will definitely call me while we are talking now. They’re all in San Antonio, at home. Now I talk to my parents every day about the past and the present. I am an adult and now I can have a relationship with them. They weren’t here this evening (Saturday), but I can guarantee you they watched the race.

Question: How do you see the future?

Answer: “I know that today (the race) opens many doors for me. The future looks bright for me. I am still training in the 400m to achieve great results. I am motivated to continue to achieve great results, because you are not me I don’t want to be in the same situation. The difficulties I was in when I was young.”