Marcell Jacobs withdraws from Florence Diamond League
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 31.05.23. | 12:47
Jacobs has withdrawn from up to seven races in the past 12 months
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs will miss Friday's 100m at the Diamond League meeting in Florence as he continues to recover from a back injury, the Italian athletics federation announced on Tuesday evening.
Jacobs pulled out of last week's event in Rabat where he was set to come up against Commonwealth champion Ferdinand Omanyala, and World champion Fred Kerley, among other elite sprinters in the event that was eventually won by Kerley, with Omanyala finishing third despite a strong start.
For the Rabat event, Jacobs cited the same back problem.
"The recovery process for Jacobs, after the problem that emerged in recent days, does not appear to be fully completed yet," the federation said in a statement.
Jacob's withdrawals started with last year's edition of the Kip Keino Classic, then the Diamond League meetings in Eugene, Rome, Oslo, and Stockholm as a precaution for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon where his quest was cut short in the semis as he withdrew citing the recurring thigh injury.
The Italian beat Kerley to gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but the pair have not faced off since.
Apart from Omanyala and Kerley, Florence boasts a star-studded lineup that will also feature reigning Diamond League champion Trayvon Bromell and fellow American Erriyon Knighton as well as South Africa's Akani Simbine.
Faith Kipyegon and Laura Muir in 1500m H2H
Two-time Olympic and world 1,500 m champion Faith Kipyegon will be determined to maintain her appealing form when she renews her rivalry with Scotland's Laura Muir in the Diamond League meeting in Florence on Friday.
Kipyegon will return to Florence where she set the national record in 3:53.91 in 2021, keen to win another Diamond League title. At her season debut in Doha, she already clocked 3:58.57.
Besides chasing her third world title, the Olympic and world gold medalist is looking to better her 3:50.37 personal best this year as she aims at lowering Genzebe Dibaba's 3:50:07 world record.
Jacob Krop keen to surprise opponents
World 5,000m silver medalist, Jacob Krop will also be making his debut in the Diamond League this weekend. Krop is looking to hone his skills ahead of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. His mission in Budapest will be to improve on the 2022 World Championships performance where he finished second.
Other Kenyans who are ready to cause upset in Florence include World 3000 steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech who is up against a strong opposition among them fellow Kenyans Jackline Chepkoech, Fancy Cherono, and Faith Cherotich.
The Kenyans will compete against former World champion Emma Coburn of the USA and the Ethiopian trio of Mekides Abebe, Sembo Alemayehu, and Zarfe Wondemagegn.
Additional reporting by Tabby Nashipae.
