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Marcell Jacobs missed the Rabat Diamond League with discomfort in his back and has failed to recover from it in time for the Florence Diamond League. Jacobs has had a great start to 2023 as he has two second place finishes at the domestic competition and the European World Championships and a first place at Orlen Cup. The Italian Federation on Wednesday confirmed the news of Jacob’s withdrawal from the upcoming Florence Diamond League.
Jacobs was due to race world champion Fred Kerley in Rabat and the matchup was very much anticipated by track fans. The Italian beat Kerley to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but the pair have not faced off since then. The last time an Olympic champion faced a world champion in the 100m race was in 2011 when Usain Bolt, the 2008 Olympic champion, beat Yohan Blake, the 2011 world champion.
“The recovery process for Jacobs, after the problem that emerged in recent days, does not appear to be fully completed yet,” the Italian Athletics Federation said in a statement.
It is to be noted that Jacobs missed the majority of the 2022 season and withdrew from the world championships in the US after the 100m heats. It is still uncertain when the Olympic medallist will return to full fitness. The Florence Diamond League is set to take place on June 2 at the Ridolfi Stadium.