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A Taylor native has received a medal in the track and field competition of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Fred Kerley clinched the silver medal at the 100 meters on Aug. 1, with a time of 9.84, finishing behind Italy's Marcell Jacobs, who placed first with 9.80.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner took to Twitter to congratulate Kerley.
“Congrats to @TeamUSA track and field runner and fellow Texan @fkerley99 for winning silver in the 100M final. An amazing finish. #TexasProud #Olympics,” Turner wrote.
Kerley told PEOPLE that his future outlook was exciting and at the Olympics you had to bring your best in order to medal.
"You've got to be happy with coming to the biggest stage of your career because a lot of people can't say they came to the Olympic Games," Kerley said. "One hundred meters has got to be the sharpest, there's not room for [any] mistakes."
KXAN reported that his family held a watch party in Taylor to see Kerley compete.
“To see him actually there, and actually going, watching his arms and watching the wind come out of his mouth, it’s actually overwhelming to see,” Virginia Kerley, Fred’s mother, told the news station. “I had the faith to know that he was going to do something good, and he had faith to know he was going to do something good also.”
Legendary Jamaican track star Usain Bolt had won the event in the last three Olympics, but his retirement leaves an opening for a new group of sprinters to shine,
Kerley and Jacobs will be among those to try to someday break or get close to Bolt’s record of 9.58.
Kerley will be looking to add another medal as he is competing in the men’s 4x100 meter relay Aug. 4.
An alum of Texas A&M University and South Plains College, Kerley won the gold in the 4x400 meters in the 2019 World Outdoor Championships and the 400 meters in the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships.