We'll have to wait longer for the world's fastest men to square off

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For the second consecutive week, track fans have been denied the 100-metre matchup they want to see. Reigning Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs pulled out of Friday's Diamond League race in Florence, Italy due to spinal-nerve pain, the same issue that kept him out of last Sunday's meet in Morocco.

Both times, the U.S.-born Italian was slated to face Fred Kerley, the hulking American who took silver at the Tokyo Olympics before capturing the 100m world title last summer in Oregon. Jacobs withdrew from the semifinals at the world championships because of a thigh injury, allowing Kerley — a former 400m specialist — to steal the unofficial title of World's Fastest Man.

Health issues have plagued Jacobs since his surprise victories in Tokyo, where he became the first Italian to win an Olympic 100m title and also helped his country capture its first 4x100 gold. Though he went on to win the world indoor 60m title and the European 100m championship in 2022, injuries have kept him from competing in any Diamond League meets over the last two years and from finishing the world championships last July.

Jacobs was able to place second in the 60m at the European indoor championships in March, but Kerley taunted his rival by saying on a podcast that "the real dogs come and play outdoor." The ensuing social-media barbs included Jacobs philosophizing that "the lion doesn't turn around when a small dog barks" and Kerley asking the Diamond League to set up a one-on-one match race between them.

But it's hard enough to get both guys to show up for even a conventional race. Many promoters can't afford the combined appearance fees that the Olympic and world title holders can command. And even when the stars do appear to align, Jacobs often ends up hurt. By NBC Sports' count, the Italian has skipped out on six scheduled head-to-heads with Kerley since May of last year. Get more on the Jacobs vs. Kerley false starts by watching this segment from CBC Sports' Athletics North show with Rob Pizzo and Morgan Campbell:

With Jacobs again out of the picture for Friday's race in Florence, the new elevator pitch is that it features the entire podium from last year's world championships. That's Kerley and fellow Americans Marvin Bracy-Williams (silver) and Trayvon Bromell (bronze). 2012 world champ Yohan Blake of Jamaica, South African veteran Akani Simbine and Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, who owns the fastest time in the world this year, could challenge too. The race goes at 3:39 p.m. ET.

Four Canadians are competing at the Florence meet, which you can watch live from 2-4 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

Aaron Brown will face American phenom and world bronze medallist Erriyon Knighton in the men's 200m at 2:15 p.m. ET; Regan Yee is in the women's 3,000m steeplechase at 2:25 p.m. ET; Olympic silver medallist Moh Ahmed meets gold medallist Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda in the men's 5,000m at 3:06 p.m. ET; and Olympic fifth-place finisher Gabriela DeBues-Stafford takes on world and Olympic champ Faith Kipyegon of Kenya in the closing women's 1,500m at 3:49 p.m. ET. Read about DeBues-Stafford's comeback from a painful injury in this story by CBC Sports' Doug Harrison.