Marcell Jacobs laughs at Fred Kerley claiming to break the 100m world record when the two face off at Oslo Diamond League

The reigning 100-meter Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs was left in splits as Fred Kerley made bold claims of breaking the 100-meter world record. The duo will face each other next at the Oslo Diamond League, aka Oslo Bislett Games, scheduled to start at the end of this month.

The sixth leg of the athletics' premier one-day event will be hosted by the historic Bislett Olympic Stadium on May 30th, 2024. Track and field fans will be treated to athletic brilliance in domains like men's 100 meters, men's and women's 400 meters, men's 400 meters hurdles, men's pole vault, women's 200 meters, women's 400 meters, men's and women's discus throw, etc.

The event will also witness one of the most famous track rivalries with Marcell Jacobs and Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley set to lock horns in the 100-meter matchup. The hype around this face-off is increasing with each passing day, and Kerley has added fuel to the fire with a tweet claiming to break Usain Bolt's iconic 9.58s world record in the aforementioned event.

Marcell Jacobs responded to the tweet with 'crying with laughter' emojis, as the tweet was shared by Diamond League Athletics on Instagram. Track Spice shared the banter on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Marcell Jacobs laughs at Fred Kerley in the comments section ahead of their race at Oslo Bislett Games"

Apart from Marcell Jacobs and Fred Kerley, 100-meter icon Akani Simbine will also be present at the starting line, making it a race to watch out for.

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A brief look into the track rivalry between Fred Kerley and Marcell Jacobs

The two-track titans collided for the first time at the 100-meter finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Marcell Jacobs stood atop the podium after finishing in the first spot with 9.80 seconds, and Kerley placed second with 9.84 seconds. From there on, the two faced each other on multiple occasions.

When asked about their rivalry, Marcell Jacobs told AFP that their track competitiveness inspires him and is a good thing. He stated:

"It’s good to create a bit of interest, individual challenges, to get people talking about us. I think it’s important, it helps everyone in athletics a bit and it always inspires us more. It will be a good duel."

The two have had a rollercoaster of a ride on the track lately but both runners will be looking to bring their A-game to the table as they gear up for the Paris Olympics in 2024.