Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:02 Our guest today is Fred Curley Olympian reigning champion in the 100 meters. And as we speak, the fastest man in the world. Fred took the world of athletics by storm, first in the 400 meter races, and most recently in the 100 meter, being one of the three men to go sub 10 seconds in 100 meters, sub 20 seconds in 200 meters, and sub 44 seconds in 400 meters. Speaking to us, while he is preparing for the 2023 edition of the World Athletics Championship, Fred reveals how he stays motivated, what pushes him to break records, and what the fastest man in the world status means to him and his career. He also takes us through his training and pre-race preparations and highlights his upcoming goals, including being the Olympic champion in 2024. I'm Teo Vander Bruker. Welcome to the Edge, A podcast by tag hoer Fred Kelly, thanks so much for joining me at the Edge. We're very, very happy to have you here. Um, so you're in <inaudible> at the moment. How, how's that been? What's the experience been like? It
Speaker 2 00:01:12 Been, it been nice. Nice scenery. Nice, nice everything. It's lovely, lovely experience that I have so far.
Speaker 1 00:01:20 Great. Um, we should talk about running 'cause that's why you're here. Um, how did you get into the sport and what inspired you to pursue a career in running?
Speaker 2 00:01:30 I think I've been running all my life, but I took, um, from football and basketball he run. So from my, my very first day days to run, it was very young and I got to running because everybody else was doing it. But, um, it started out with football, football first, and then once football happened I took track and field serious. Seriously.
Speaker 1 00:01:54 Is there anything about running that kind of changes your mental state? Do you find it that you feel freer or that, that it kind of makes life less confusing? Or is there, is there anything that kind of it does to you?
Speaker 2 00:02:06 Running is something that, and my sport is where you can take from mostly every sport in today's time at running is like you running, you running for yourself and free, free mind. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:02:20 Um, you're one of the fastest men in history and currently, if I'm not mistaken, the world's fastest man. How does that status feel? I mean, it's an extraordinary thing.
Speaker 2 00:02:30 The, the, the status feel wonderful. You know, everybody's gunning, gunning for you to beat the war fastest, the fastest man. It's only for me to keep what I got to do to continue to have that title. Is
Speaker 1 00:02:44 That a title you've always wanted to have?
Speaker 2 00:02:47 I think in my time, that's the only title that actually matter. Mm-hmm. The world fastest, everybody gunning for you, the target on your back and you gotta just make sure you shake it down and keep on going.
Speaker 1 00:03:00 So would you not have felt satisfied in your career if you had not achieved that goal?
Speaker 2 00:03:06 I, I feel what you're saying it probably, that's probably a yes answer. 'cause the fastest man is you get, you get everything fastest man come with a lot of perks. Hmm.
Speaker 1 00:03:17 Um, you previously mentioned you want to keep breaking records and especially win the Olympic gold medal. How do you keep motivated and how do you push yourself?
Speaker 2 00:03:27 Fir first and foremost, you gotta have the right people around you from the your agent to your coach, to the people at the house. So fir uh, you gotta have, basically you gotta live what you want to live, but at the end of the day, you gotta stay disciplined. Once you can stay disciplined with everything around you, it is, it's, you gotta stay disciplined. Disciplined is one of the most important thing of track and field is disciplined, staying healthy, making sure you got your, your body right and make sure you get down to business every time you step on the track.
Speaker 1 00:04:01 How do you keep that discipline? Um, is there a state of mind you have to enter? Like is there someone that you rely on to help you with that?
Speaker 2 00:04:09 There's no one I rely on is just basically stay away from negative people and have a positive mindset around you week in and week out. Because if you keep on a negative, uh, mindset, negative thing will happen to you on the track. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 00:04:24 So if you had to be quite, um, specific then with who you have in, in your team and in your immediate life and if you had to be kind of quite cutthroat about cutting people out?
Speaker 2 00:04:35 Yeah, I cut plenty of people out since I left school and ever since I moved away from Texas and moved to Arizona, it is just been up upward up and, um, me, me moving to Arizona is basically brand new energy to, to my life and basically positive always win the day no matter what, what part of life I'm in. If you stay positive, positive thing come to you.
Speaker 1 00:05:00 Absolutely. Um, how do you manage when things don't go the way you expect them to?
Speaker 2 00:05:05 I try to just calm down, relax, and get the ball running and um, just, I know every day is not gonna happen overnight. Everything is not given to me. It is just, just me, just being patient. Patient is, is, is a go a long way, but sometime and in track and field you can't be patient, but at the end of the day you gotta be patient to actually get where you're trying to go because if everything come overnight, I would've already been on top years ago, but I know nothing come overnight and I know I gotta be patient and my ability in everything because I want, if I want something right now, I know it's not gonna come, it gonna come later on when it's supposed to happen. Right on time.
Speaker 1 00:05:51 Does your training look the same or does it differ week to week? Can you walk us through some kind of typical elements of your training?
Speaker 2 00:05:58 In the fall, it's, it's typically the same all the way until like three weeks before, um, competition. Um, in the fall it basically like grass hills, swimming, uh, ply trips and stuff. And, um, once like we start getting to like peak season, it's a lot of stuff on the track and um, basically just three hundreds, two, two fifties, two hundreds, one fifties, one 2180s, sixties, forties. Just track season is like, it's everything just going, going faster and faster. But most of the time in the, um, while I'm in season, I'm on the grass most of the time to stay healthy. Track is cool, but you can't be on a track 24 7 because the, uh, spikes and the track is just like, once you go fast your, your nervous system gotta calm down. So the grass and swimming and the hills is basically good for your body too. Hmm.
Speaker 1 00:06:56 Um, who's your biggest inspiration both in your life and in your career?
Speaker 2 00:07:01 The biggest inspiration in, in, in my life's got to be my aunt because she, she, she came and adopted me and my brothers and sisters while she have her own kids of her own. And then after she's adopted more kids, um, we all cousins and them. So she gotta be the inspiration to keep on going because she, she gave me a new life when I was young and I'm in this position that I'm talking to you right now.
Speaker 1 00:07:31 That's an amazing story. I guess, I mean, I would love you to talk a little bit more about her if you can. Like what, what was it that she kind of brought to your life and how did that come about?
Speaker 2 00:07:44 Uh, so my mom that was doing, um, she was in and out of the Dell system while my dad was in the, uh, prison system. So that's came about like that and me and my brothers and sisters was, uh, for adoption. We have fa we all was gonna be separated, like all five of my brothers and sisters was going be separated. We was going different families. Somebody was already at the, like the foster care to come adopt me and my brothers and sisters. So she came in and just floorman just took all us, we all like to this day, I, I think that woman, because it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't know my brothers and sisters either. So it's just like she came in and got us and we all went underneath one roof instead of separated and she just motivated me just to keep on going because she brought a new life to all us and not too many people can say they been in a situation like that where they was gonna be separated for their virgin sisters. So we all came in and basically we all went to, uh, college and some of us did sports and just a joy to live, live to know my original sisters.
Speaker 1 00:08:57 What a fantastic story. And I mean what an amazing achievement that you've had to kind of overcome that adversity and <laugh> become the fastest man in the world. It's, it's incredible. Um, so you previously had experience in the 400 meter races and now a successful in the a hundred meter competitions. How does the approach differ from one to the other?
Speaker 2 00:09:17 I don't, I don't think there's no approach different, uh, from one to the other. It is just one is on a straight line and the other one's doing two curves and two straights. It's just, it's just, I think the training and everything is basically it. The same thing doing phases one just quicker than the other and the 400 is, is straight out and go all out until you just die out and the hundreds just until you get to the finish line. Right.
Speaker 1 00:09:46 So it's just both of them are just go health leather until you die to
Speaker 2 00:09:52 Until you die basically. And then, but to the a hundred is more, you gotta get everything right because if you miss a step, somebody coming the 400, you get out too fast. Mm-hmm You gonna die if you get out too slow, you not gonna catch nobody that run the same time as you. So both of them, God is perks. Right.
Speaker 1 00:10:13 I mean, would you like to still see yourself competing in the 400 meters
Speaker 2 00:10:18 Competing? Yeah, like I can go run a few races, but I like the hundred a little bit better <laugh> because you don't, hey, because you, I'm now on the ground after the a hundred, the 400, I don't wanna talk to nobody. Like it's just like that lactic acid in your legs is just different really. Like if you ever spread that, it's just different. You like, like pain. I I say pain. Pain.
Speaker 1 00:10:45 Okay. That's fair enough. That makes sense. Um, so let's talk a little bit about the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Um, did your experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics change anything about the way you train for competitions?
Speaker 2 00:11:01 I don't think nothing had changed. I trained for competition because it's, 'cause I basically did the same thing in college where you train all, all all year from say September, October-ish, all the way into um, September. So like, so basically track and field like a year-round sport where you take like a, a month off, but you right back into the groove of things. So I think everything's still been the same thing. It's just some like you gotta modify some, some sessions because you just don't know what's going on.
Speaker 1 00:11:36 Yeah. Um, and specifically how did you prepare for the 2022 World Athletic Championships? Was there anything about your training for that that changed?
Speaker 2 00:11:46 Nothing changed. It was just that silver medal I got at the Olympics. I wanted to turn it to gold. So it was just balls to walls, just go going after times, going after specific stuff and training and just, just doing the little things right to get on top.
Speaker 1 00:12:04 Are there any particular rituals or routines you follow before a race that help you get into that mindset? I
Speaker 2 00:12:10 And don't got no rituals or none of that stuff. It's just being calm, being within myself because I know what I'm capable of doing. But the people that, like I would say commentate or everything else, it just, they just don't know. Pressure, pressure, pressure, pressure. And they don't, they don't understand why I've been through try to get to achieve that, that gold medal.
Speaker 1 00:12:34 Mm-hmm. Did you face any unexpected challenges or surprises during the world championships? And if so, how did you adapt to them? Well,
Speaker 2 00:12:42 I actually tore my quad in the semi-final. Right. And like, good thing the final was a hour later my generals was still running. So that was a good thing. And that was the only challenge of the, the games I experienced of that tore my quad. And um, luckily for me, I had the biggest ball on that day. And strong.
Speaker 1 00:13:07 I mean, how, how did you manage that with a torn quad? Is that, is that not something that should like debilitate you
Speaker 2 00:13:14 Like? That definitely was, uh, a issue, but at the end of the day when you believe that what you should achieve and to get the job done, I believe I, I should have went to Atlanta and got my, the job done on that day. And I, that's what I did.
Speaker 1 00:13:32 I mean, did you have to pay for that afterwards with your quad? I mean, did it mean that it was like more difficult to heal?
Speaker 2 00:13:40 Look, luckily it was not difficult to Hill Lucky was, that was my, my final race of the, the, uh, the year. So my body got the rest. So I was good <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:13:53 Okay, well that's, that's fortunate. Um, can you talk us through the final race which you won? Take us through it from beginning to end. What were you experiencing? What were you hearing? What were you seeing and how were you feeling?
Speaker 2 00:14:07 The last race I won was in um, Florence. It was just smooth. I was letting myself lifting and the race feel faster than what the time, time showed. It was just, I was laying myself, did everything right. And, and the pre pre-training, it was just from the blocks I got out and the drive phase was smooth and once I started lifting it was, it was my dime. Just once I, I know I'm in front. Nope, not, not too many people gonna get me. What,
Speaker 1 00:14:39 What goes through your mind before a race like that? What are you thinking?
Speaker 2 00:14:43 I'm more calm now than I would would say in the 400, the a hundred. I just look at people faces that they are defeated. So if I look into your face, all defeated. All right, got you. I won because I know I won the race before I even get to start in line. 'cause I see how people, they, they're they, they're they just going to things just bending over, just talk, just stuff or they get up too much or they looking at their coaches too much. So I look at how they do and warm up and in their minds and it's just like, I try to see people fear in their face before they get to align and I love it <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:15:26 So you look for weakness in your opponents to kind of dominate
Speaker 2 00:15:31 Wow. Yes. Hey. But I, I, I see it all the time. So that's, that's one of my strong points. So like me coming for the, the down from the 400 to the hundred, they not expect the 400 guy to just come over and dominate the 100 like that because of this person coming down to the a hundred. He should just stick to the four. But I dominate the, the a hundred now and don't got nothing to say. <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:16:02 Has anyone ever um, looked back at you and been like, I've, I can see what you're doing and like, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 00:16:10 I don't think nobody do that, but I'll be seeing people already defeated before they get to the line though. Wow.
Speaker 1 00:16:18 Wow. That's extraordinary. Um, and what usually goes through your mind when you are actually racing? It's obviously very, very quick. You know, that's the whole nature of a hundred meters. Um, do you have any time to pay attention to your competitors during the race or is it already done that
Speaker 2 00:16:36 The race is already done because nine seconds come like that. So I don't like, if you ever running, you actually don't see a competitor. It's just like, it's just like blanket white wall. And then once the race is finished it's just like, I wasn't fast race or it was a slow race or you should have ran faster or we should have run faster. But it's just like, most of the time it's just white walls and I really don't see my brothers to the left or the right of me. It's just the white wall or I don't even really see the crowd unless I walk out. Once I like af once I start setting my block, it's just like everything just empty around me. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 00:17:21 When you cross that finish line, who, what's the first thought that goes through your head? What do you want to know and who do you want to speak to?
Speaker 2 00:17:30 First and foremost, did I win? Alright. I win the next thing. Look at the time, okay, it's fast time or it's slow time. Um, what's want, what my coach gonna say? What could I did better than this time? And then, um, after that, and then basically media and stuff first after I crossed the line right at the finish line and go through, get warm up and then go to talk to coach or talk to my agent and see, see what I can do next time to be even better than I was this time. Hmm.
Speaker 1 00:18:07 So is it, is it that feeling of like, even if you've won, you're still trying to push yourself harder, you don't rest?
Speaker 2 00:18:16 So basically if I go break the world record today, it's all small things that, oh, you could've did this better or you messed up on here, you did this wrong. All about what can I do to be the best? Mm-hmm. At all given times on all aspects of my life. What can I do to be the best or what can I do to be the like better than I was this time? And the small things add up to the bigger things.
Speaker 1 00:18:44 Yeah, I can see that. I mean, but then when you know that you have won and in that moment where you've suddenly got that like, oh wow, okay, I've actually done it. What do you feel? Do you feel elation or do you feel like, oh, I'm just gonna have to redo it again? Um,
Speaker 2 00:19:01 Like the small race is just a enjoyment. Enjoyment because the moment you keep on winning, keep on winning the target on your back because not too many people can say they just keep on winning, winning, winning and dominating uh, a uh, a event. They just still young. And so it's just like after I, I win just like the excitement come, he's just joy me come and ah, I'm loving it.
Speaker 1 00:19:25 Amazing. Were there any memorable moments from the world Championships besides winning the medal?
Speaker 2 00:19:31 I think the, my biggest moment was getting a job done and finish the line number one. And not only that, I, um, once I went around the track, because I don't, you know, after the 400 you just stopped there and after the a hundred I went around the whole track, did the silent sir. And like that probably like 2022 was probably the best world championship I think I've been a part of. 'cause it was all, it was all home soil. 'cause it was all home soil. You didn't have to fly 12 plus hour back home leave was like five hour from Oregon to back home. So it was a nice trip to be home and not had to fill big time jet lag and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 00:20:17 Do you think that aspect helps, like being closer to home, does that actually have a material impact on your racing?
Speaker 2 00:20:26 Definitely, because you don't gotta travel that much. You don't got to, to your body, don't gotta recover from a lot of stuff. You just go going up the road and this, this is good on the body not to travel like that before a big time championship. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 00:20:44 How did the win of the World championships impact your, your career, would you say?
Speaker 2 00:20:48 It gave me new life. It gave me new motivation and it gave me a lot more stuff that I can do and the, and I know what I gotta do to keep on going and stay on top. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 00:21:02 Do you have any other short or goals besides winning the Olympics?
Speaker 2 00:21:08 My short term goals right now is defend my title this year and, and get to the Olympic Games and mm-hmm. <affirmative> win the title and then finish and then keep on basically just fe keep on winning. And after the gold medals, I I, I want to actually break the world records and if I could do that, that's a, that's a lifetime achievement for me
Speaker 1 00:21:32 For sure. Um, I'm hopeful that there'll be young athletes listening to this feeling, feeling inspired. Um, what advice would you give to any other young athletes who are starting out now?
Speaker 2 00:21:44 First and first most is believe in the people around you. Believe in your ability because it's going to be naysayers that say you can't do this, or Oh, you're not like this person. How you gonna not like this person? Just keep on believing in, in, in yourself and keep on believing in your ability because you only know what you are capable of doing. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:22:04 That's some wise words. Um, amazing. Well thank you so much Fred. It's been really wonderful speaking to you and I'm very excited to see what you achieve over the coming years. Um, fastest man in the world, thank you so much for joining us at the Edge. Really appreciate it. Thank
Speaker 2 00:22:19 You.
Speaker 1 00:22:29 Thank you for listening to this episode of The Edge. If you'd like to listen to more episodes like this one, have a listen to our interviews with athletes Sydney McLaughlin and Sky Brown. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe and leave us five stars. It does make a difference. Thank you so much to Fred Curley for joining us. I'm your host, Teo Van and Bruker, and I'll be back next month with another episode of The Edge, a podcast by Ware. See you soon.
