The anticipated rivalry between Marcell Jacobs and Fred Kerley will have to wait

The expected duel between the Olympic champion of 100 meters, the Italian Marcell Jacobs, and the world champion, the American Fred Kerley, has been postponed. after the last minute absence of the transalpine from the meeting in Florence, the third date of the Diamond League, where he planned to face the North American this Friday.

“Marcell Jacobs will not participate in the 100 meter test that will be held on Friday in Florence. The decision was made by the athletic staff together with the Medical Department of the Italian Athletics Federation,” the organization announced in a statement.

Jacobs, as the organizers explained, has not yet “fully recovered” from a “mild lumbar-sacral block” which prevented him from participating last Sunday in the Rabat meeting.

An appointment where the Italian is set to meet Fred Kerley for the first time since the final of the Tokyo Olympics, where Marcell Jacobs defeated the American athlete by four hundred, who had to settle for the silver medal.

A loss that Kerley missed at the World Cups held last summer in Eugene and where the American hung up the gold medal, after seeing how Jacobs withdrew in the semifinals due to injury.

SOCIAL NETWORKS DUEL

An event that seems to increase the rivalry between the two athletes, who have maintained a fierce rivalry in social networks in recent weeks with the punch of “tweet” and “post”

“Diamond League, make it happen. I want a one against one only with him, without anyone else“, claimed American Fred Kerley on April 17 via Twitter.

Quick response to the message that the Italian athlete published a few hours before on his Instagram account, which assured that he is ready to face the American “whenever and wherever he wants” Kerley.

“Whenever and wherever you want, but remember that when it matters most, it ends like this“said Jacobs, illustrating his words with a picture of his victory in the final of the Tokyo Olympics.

A harsh response to statements made by Fred Kerley, who at the end of last March indicated on the “Sprint Culture” podcast that he did not consider Jacobs a “real” rival.

After being asked about the performance of Marcell Jacobs in the European indoor track in Istanbul, where the Italian was overtaken in the final of the 60 meter dash by his compatriot Samuele Ceccarelli, the American athlete pointed out that the real rivals face outside.

“In the end, the indoor track is the indoor track and the real rivals compete outside“Indicated Kerley, who when asked if he considered Jacobs a true rival, said: “I don’t think so. I’m just pretending.”

The words to which the Italian, who after recovering from the injury suffered in Eugene was crowned European champion outside of Munich a month later, responded with another strong message through social networks.

“A lion does not look back when a small dog barks“said Jacobs, accompanying his words with a video of his workout in the gym.

A real “cockpit” lasted at the beginning of May when Fred Kerley asked at the press conference before the Doha meeting, the first test of the Diamond League, that Marcell Jacobs would appear in the event of a direct confrontation between the two. .

“If it happens I will be there and I will win for sure. I don’t know if he will show up“said the American, who after a few weeks was again left without his long-awaited duel with Jacobs, after seeing how the Italian withdrew at the last minute from the appointment in Rabat due to some ailments.

Physical problems that will again prevent the confrontation of the two athletes this Friday in Florence, where Fred Kerley will have to ‘settle’ for facing his compatriots Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell, the two athletes who escort him in the World Cup last year.