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

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.

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