On social media and in interviews in recent weeks, Kerley and Jacobs have both been talking up their chances in a sprint showdown.
World champion Fred Kerley will take on Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs over the 100m in one of the most eagerly awaited clashes of the Rabat Diamond League circuit in Morocco.
The duo is set to lock horns at the meeting in Rabat on May 28 before taking on each other again just five days later at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Florence, Italy on June 2.
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ATHLETICS Kerley dares arch-rival Marcel Jacobs to a 100m clash
Since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Jacobs and Kerley have not gone head-to-head, but Jacobs was injured for much of the 2022 season.
On social media and in interviews in recent weeks, Kerley and Jacobs have both been talking up their chances in a sprint showdown.
The events will be a great chance for the duo to prove to the world who the greatest is when it comes to the 100m race.
The two have competed twice before, in Monaco and Tokyo in 2021, with Jacobs finishing ahead on both occasions. Kerley has since improved in the 100m and has started his 2023 campaign with three victories on the international circuit.
Kerley finished fourth in the 200m when he last raced in Rabat in 2017, while Jacobs and Trayvon Bromell will be making their debuts at the meeting.
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Social media ablaze with prospects of 100m World Champion Kerley and Olympic 100m champion Jacobs going head-to-head.
At the Golden Gala, Kerley will be seeking another victory following his wins at the meeting in the 100m in 2022 and the 400m in 2018. In Rome last year, the US sprinter won the 100m by a huge margin, clocking 9.92, then went on to set a Personal Best of 9.76 at the US Championships before claiming the world title in Oregon.
Jacobs set a European record of 9.80 to win the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, then added another gold to his collection in the 4x100m. He won two more major titles in 2022, taking world indoor 60m gold in a European record of 6.41 and then European 100m gold in Munich.
Also in the mix is the Diamond League champion and world bronze medallist Bromell in both line-ups, setting up two thrilling battles between the three big title-holders over the distance.
Bromell, who has an identical 9.76 PB to Kerley, is the 2016 world indoor 60m champion. Last year, after claiming world bronze in Oregon, Bromell went on to win the 100m at the Diamond League Final in Zurich.
Africa 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala will also be in the field in Rabat to try his luck in upsetting the duo. He has been in impeccable form since the season started and might just pull off a surprise when he steps foot on the track.
Adding further strength to the field in Rabat are Andre De Grasse, Akani Simbine and Yohan Blake, while Samuele Ceccarelli will be in the field in Florence.
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