Kerley, who competed without performance-enhancing drugs, walked away with a $250,000 prize after a race that required four separate starts due to field disruptions, including an untied shoe and false start signals.
"They need to train a little harder and go a little harder some more," said Kerley regarding his fellow competitors.
The 2022 world champion expressed frustration with the procedural delays and the readiness of the other sprinters during the preliminary phases in Las Vegas.
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"[There was] a lot of false starts, a lot of jumping. A lot of people don’t want to run the heats and everything.
They’ve got to do better than that," said Kerley.
Clean American swimmer Hunter Armstrong won the men's 50-meter backstroke in 24.21 seconds, defeating Ireland's Shane Ryan, who timed 25.23 seconds while under medical supervision for enhancements.
Armstrong, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who experienced financial hardship after sponsor cuts following the 2024 Paris Olympics, secured a $250,000 payout while maintaining his drug-testing eligibility for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
British Olympic silver medalist Ben Proud finished 0.05 seconds outside the 50-meter butterfly world record of 22.27 seconds to claim a $250,000 victory.
"I think I am," said Proud when questioned about his satisfaction with the prize earnings. He acknowledged that the primary objective for competitors remained breaking established global milestones.
"But I think we all know what we came here for, and that’s a world record," said Proud.
