Olympic Star Requests For Support As She Fights Personal Battles Amidst Track Season

2024 Paris Olympics: After struggling with sponsorships and resources, this track and field athlete had finally made it to the greatest stage of all. But as she lined up on the track for the hundred-meter hurdles, a host from the past was just right around her shoulders. At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, she crashed into a hurdle during the preliminary round, leading to disqualification. In Paris, she had aced the semifinals. In the finals, she jolted as soon as the gun cracked the silence, jumping over the first hurdle. She then leaped over the next one as well. But unfortunately, the 2022 ghost had the third hurdle cursed, where the Olympian tripped. She finished 7th (12.93 seconds). Ever since then, life has not been easy for the star. Struggling, she made a tweet that had money fans worried and wondering!

Taking to her X account, Alaysha Johnson wrote, “In full transparency, May has been the hardest month of my life to date. Emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually at war and still having to show up every single day. Waking up is hard; going to sleep is even harder. Anyways, onwards and upwards. sending prayers for anyone feeling the same.” But why would that be the case? What happened to the track and field star in May?

In full transparency, May has been the hardest month of my life to date.

Emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually at war and still having to show up every single day. Waking up is hard; going to sleep is even harder.

Anyways, onwards and upwards. sending prayers…

— Alaysha ‘Lay’ Johnson OLY (@ImJustLaylay) June 1, 2025

Remember Fred Kerley not participating in the Miami Grand Slam Track because he was arrested? That is where it all goes back to. On May 1, Johnson alleged that her ex-boyfriend, fellow Olympian Fred Kerley, assaulted her at a hotel in Dania Beach, Florida. She claimed that Kerley punched her in the face during an argument, resulting in a bloody nose. Police reports indicated that her injuries were consistent with her account. Kerley was charged with one count of ‘battery-touch or strike‘, a misdemeanor in the state of Florida.

The Paris Olympic medalist appeared in court the following day, May 3, where he was granted a $1,000 bond and ordered not to contact Johnson or return to the hotel where the incident occurred. While all this was happening, Johnson kept her spirits and sprints strong and went on to race in the 75. Boris Hanžeković Memorial on 24th May, where she won the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.82 seconds. However, it might seem like her track and field career is going great, but that is not entirely true.

The only other win she had in May was the 100 mH in the 14th Savona International Meeting on 21st May, where she clocked 12.61. Other than that, she clocked a time of 11.61 seconds in the 100 meters for a third-place finish in the same event. And worst to worst, after the Kerley incident, she went to race in the Miami Grand Slam Track on 2nd May, where, contrary to her stature, she finished at number 6. Yes, the Olympian clocked a time of  12.56 to be the second last one to cross the finish line, before Maribel Vanessa Caicedo. But one might wonder, thinking of what happened to her, what is the history between her and Kerley?

The history between Fred Kerley and Alaysha Johnson

Fred Kerley and Alaysha Johnson, both standout American track and field athletes, were in a relationship for roughly six months in 2024. Both of them were rising stars in track and field, but the higher they rose, the further downhill this relationship went, ultimately coming to an end in October 2024. The reason for their breakup is not publicly known, but this was the time when Fred made the tweet claiming he lost his would a few times this year.

Then the infamous thing in Miami happened. Fred Kerley, Miami, and a love interest are a dangerous combination. During his January arrest in Miami, Kerley’s past haunted him. He was charged with domestic violence involving strangulation in an incident with his estranged wife, Angelica, a case that went back to May 2024. She told DailyMail.com that he attacked her early one morning at their home near Miami, choking and dragging her. The situation only stopped when their 9-year-old daughter stepped in bravely to protect her.

As far as the case with Johnson is concerned, Kerley pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations, claiming he was the victim in the altercation. His attorney stated that Kerley plans to sue Johnson for defamation, asserting that the accusations are false and damaging to his reputation.

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