Justin Gatlin Responds to Fred Kerley’s Remarks About Noah Lyles After 400m Battle

Both Fred Kerley and Noah Lyles took part in 400m racing recently, with the former easily winning his race while the latter struggled, which may have validated Kerley's claims Lyles is not on his level.

American sprint legend Justin Gatlin has reacted to the ongoing war of words going on between Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley after the latter athlete claimed his fellow Paris 2024 Olympic 100m medalist was ‘not on his level’.

The verbal sparring between the two stars intensified after Kerley’s bold remarks on The Pivot podcast, where he dismissed Lyles’ credentials by saying, “He’s not on my level… Go look at the record book, look who got more wins. I’m dealing with more of the stuff than he dealing with. I’m telling you, he not built like me.”

Lyles didn't stay silent. While recovering post-race, the reigning 200m world champion addressed Kerley’s comments on his own show Beyond the Records, co-hosted with Team USA teammates Rai Benjamin and Grant Holloway. 

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“While I was resting and recovering, I see this clip where Fred’s like, ‘He’s not built like me, he ain’t like me,’” Lyles shared. “I never went through that,” he continued, referencing Kerley’s tough upbringing. “I’m not built like you—and you’re not built like me. And I’m perfectly fine with that, ‘cause I got the Olympic gold.”

Both athletes raced in the 400 meters this week. While Kerley raced at the Mount SAC Relays, Lyles was competing at the Tom Jones invitational in what was his first-ever race at the event, and they produced contrasting outcomes. 

Kerley nonchalantly coasted to victory in his heat, using his previous experience in the event to storm to victory with a seasonal best mark of 44.73.

Lyles on the other hand, who specialises more in the 100 meters and 200 meters struggled in his race, finishing on 45.87 seconds.

Gatlin, analyzing both performances on the Ready Set Go podcast alongside co-host Rodney Greene, acknowledged the magnitude of Lyles’ effort given his lack of recent experience at the distance. 

“For him to be out of the 400 for at least the last three years—yeah, last three years for sure. I watched the race, and honestly, I was impressed with how he managed to get around the track and fight for the win,” Gatlin said. 

“Being a short sprinter going back into a long sprint—it’s foreign to you. It’s unfamiliar territory, you know what I mean?”

Yet it was Greene who emphasized how Kerley’s earlier claims had seemingly been validated. “They did run on the same day,” Greene said.

 “Noah even said, ‘I ain’t built like him.’ And that clip aged really well. I mean, 44.70 versus 45.8—that’s a big difference.”

Though he admitted Lyles’ time wasn’t poor considering his sprinting background, Greene maintained that Kerley’s experience shone through. 

“Fred’s got way more seasoning in the 400. He knows how to run it, how to pace it—he’s done it before,” Greene said. 

“That clip? Fred’s probably gonna post that one, and then follow it with a clip of Noah saying he’s not built like him. I like it. The back and forth just builds the hype for when they actually go head-to-head.”

Despite their differences in background and distance specialties, both sprinters are using the early season to sharpen different facets of their game ahead of the Tokyo World Championships next September.

But if their performances and quotes are anything to go by, the 100m showdown in Japan might be fueled by more than just raw speed—it’ll be personal.