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Taylor native Fred Kerley earns silver medal in 100m

Kerley performed at his personal best but was beat out by another Texas-born Olympian.

TAYLOR, Texas — Taylor got some representation on the Olympic stage on Sunday night when one of its very own earned a silver medal in track and field – Fred Kerley.

Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who was born in El Paso, won the men’s Olympic 100-meter race, crossing the line in 9.8 seconds to bring the sprint gold to Italy for the first time. 

RELATED: World's fastest man: Texas-born Italian sprints from unknown to Bolt’s successor

Credit: AP
Fred Kerley, of United States, celebrates after winning the silver medal in the men's the 100-meter final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Jacobs topped Kerley and Canada’s Andre DeGrasse to take the spot held for the past 13 years by the now-retired Usain Bolt. Jacobs’ victory came only moments after his countryman, Gianmarco Tamberi, tied Qatari high jumper Mutaz Barshim for gold in the high jump. Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela broke a 26-year-old world record in the triple jump with a leap of 51 feet, 5 inches.

According to USATF, Kerley marked his personal best, clocking in at 9.84.

Kerley also brought home a bronze medal in the 400m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, as well as a gold medal in the 4x400m relay.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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