Fred Kerley says he is not taking performance enhancers as he prepares to run at the Enhanced Games, which open Sunday in Las Vegas. The 2022 world champion in the 100 meters, who is banned from the regular track circuit until August 2027, said the breakaway meet is about money and speed, not a change of heart about doping.

The 31-year-old said the multimillion-dollar contract drew him to the event, not the prospect of taking drugs. He said, “I don’t need it,” and added, “God gave me fast feet for a reason.” Kerley, who became the most recognizable name on the roster when he signed with the meet, said he believes Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record can fall on Sunday and has teased that a 9.4-second run could be possible.

Kerley’s move comes after a turbulent stretch that pushed him out of the mainstream circuit. The Athletics Integrity Unit handed him a two-year ban for missing tests required under antidoping rules, and he has said he will compete at the L.A. Olympics in 2028. In March, the ban for missing tests was announced, and he is not eligible for regular competition until August 2027.

The Enhanced Games enter that backdrop with permission for drugs, and most of the 50 athletes in track, swimming and weightlifting are taking performance enhancers under doctors and trainers. Kerley is among a smaller group, along with swimmer Hunter Armstrong, saying they are not. Doping control officers are on hand in Las Vegas this weekend testing on behalf of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which keeps a list of active athletes who could return to traditional events.

Kerley has argued that whereabouts requirements in antidoping are disrespectful and intrusive, saying the phone calls that followed his ban looked like spam from Mexico and he thought they were doping control officers trying to track him down. “It’s a lot of scrutiny, not only against me but against the Enhanced Games,” he said. He also said, “I want them to test me because I don’t want there to be a single doubt that I’m a man of my word.” For Kerley, Sunday is a start in a league built to challenge the old order, and a public test of whether his speed can still make the noise he has promised.