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Seven-time Olympic medalist Penny Oleksiak of Canada will miss Julyâs world swimming championships because she does not expect to be recovered enough from knee and shoulder injuries.
âThe bar that we set was, can she be as good as sheâs ever been at these world championships?â coach Ryan Mallette said in a press release. âWe just donât feel like weâre going to be ready to be 100 percent yet this summer. Our focus is to get her back to 100 percent as soon as possible to get ready for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.â
Oleksiak, who owns the Canadian record of seven Olympic medals (across all sports), missed Canadaâs trials meet for worlds two months ago due to the injuries. She was still named to the team at the time in hope that she would be ready in time for worlds.
The 22-year-old returned to competition last month at a Mare Nostrum meet in Barcelona, after which she chose to focus on continued rehab rather than compete at worlds in Fukuoka, Japan.
âSwimming at Mare Nostrum was a checkpoint for worlds, and I gave it my best shot,â Oleksiak said in the release. âWe reviewed my swims there, and it showed me the level I want to get back to. Now I need to focus on my rehab to get back to where I want to be and put myself in position to be at my best next season.â
Oleksiak had knee surgery last year to repair a meniscus. After that, she developed an unrelated left shoulder injury.
In 2016, Oleksiak tied for Olympic 100m freestyle gold with American Simone Manuel. She also earned 100m butterfly silver in Rio and 200m free bronze in Tokyo, along with four relay medals between those two Games.
At last yearâs worlds, she earned four relay medals and placed fourth in the 100m free.
She anchored the Canadian 4x100m free relay to silver behind Australia at the most recent Olympics and worlds.
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Follow @nbcolympictalkAmerican Fred Kerley is about to race on a fourth different continent this year, but the seeds for this season â and all of his medal-winning seasons â were planted on the sand, grass and pavement of Grenada.
Kerley, the world 100m champion, headlines Fridayâs Diamond League meet in Florence, Italy. Peacock streams it live from 2-4 p.m. ET. CNBC airs coverage Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
It was to be a showdown between Kerley and the Olympic 100m champion, Marcell Jacobs of Italy. But Jacobs withdrew on Tuesday due to the nerve pain that has pushed back the start of his outdoor season. Jacobs withdrew from six scheduled races with Kerley dating to May 2022 due to a series of health issues since winning that surprise gold in Tokyo.
Kerley, who traded social media barbs with Jacobs earlier this spring, indicated a detente in a press conference Thursday.
âIâm not upset that heâs not competing, just wish him health and that he gets back to competing at 100 percent,â he said.
When speaking of himself, Kerley kept his trademark confidence. He wore a hat with a goat on it on Thursday and repeated that his focus is on two numbers: 9.69 (Tyson Gayâs American record in the 100m) and 9.58 (Usain Boltâs world record). Kerleyâs personal best, in two-plus years since dropping down from the 400m, is 9.76.
He resides in South Florida, a place that allows an outdoor athlete to train year-round. Kerley eschews that. He annually flies to Grenada for up to six-week stays.
â[I] work on a lot of specific stuff in Grenada to get me to the level I need to be when Budapest comes around,â Kerley said, referring to Augustâs world championships in the Hungarian capital, where he will bid to become the first man to repeat as world 100m champion since Bolt in 2013 and 2015.
Why Grenada? His Texas-based coach, Alleyne Francique, competed at three Olympics for the Spice Island, including placing fourth in the 400m at the 2004 Athens Games. That was the best Olympic finish for any Grenada athlete until Kirani James won a 400m medal of every color at the last three Games.
Francique recruited Kerley to Texas A&M out of junior college in 2015. When Kerley turned pro in 2017, he moved to the ALTIS training facility in Arizona. After a year, he went back to Francique at College Station â âIt didnât work out for me. I wonât say anything bad about the program,â he said in 2019, according to Track and Field News. Kerley has since moved to Florida, but Francique still coaches him remotely from Texas.
Kerley has trained in Grenadaâs national stadium in St. Georgeâs, which in 2017 was named after James. But a more unique venue for Kerley is a paved hill near the home of one of Franciqueâs friends.
âThereâs no traffic, so itâs a good area to train,â Francique said.
There are few distractions there, aside from chickens, ducks and cattle. Francique noted that in the three seasons that Kerley trained in Grenada, he won bronze (2019 Worlds 400m), silver (Tokyo Olympic 100m) and gold (2022 Worlds 100m).
âSo next year, maybe, he breaks a world record,â Francique said.
Here are the Florence entry lists. Hereâs the schedule of events (all times Eastern):
12:30 p.m. â Womenâs Discus
12:45 â Menâs Triple Jump
1:15 â Menâs Shot Put
1:43 â Womenâs Pole Vault
2:04 â Womenâs 400m Hurdles
2:15 â Menâs 200m
2:20 â Menâs High Jump
2:25 â Womenâs 3000m Steeplechase
2:42 â Womenâs Long Jump
2:44 â Womenâs 100m
2:56 â Menâs 110m Hurdles
3:06 â Menâs 5000m
3:28 â Womenâs 400m
3:39 â Menâs 100m
3:49 â Womenâs 1500m
Here are five events to watch:
Womenâs Pole Vault â 1:43 p.m. ET
Just like the Diamond League season opener in Doha, the field has the top five from the last yearâs worlds, led by Americans Katie Moon and Sandi Morris, the gold and silver medalists. Moon is the world leader this year indoors and outdoors, though she no-heighted at last Saturdayâs Los Angeles Grand Prix. Come Augustâs worlds, she will look to become the first woman to repeat as world champ in the pole vault in 16 years. Morris, who was third in Doha, eyes her first global outdoor title after four silvers between the Olympics and worlds.
Womenâs Long Jump â 2:42 p.m. ET
A gathering of the worldâs most accomplishes active jumpers â Olympic and world champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany, Olympic and world medalist Ese Brume of Nigeria â and the top Americans â Quanesha Burks and Tara Davis-Woodhall. Theyâre all chasing 7.08 meters, the worldâs best leap this year recorded by Jamaican Ackelia Smith, a University of Texas sophomore.
Menâs 5000m â 3:06 p.m. ET
Field includes Olympic 5000m champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega of Ethiopia and world silver medalist Jacob Krop of Kenya as well as reigning U.S. 5000m and 10,000m champions Grant Fisher and Joe Klecker. Cheptegei, the world record holder, was ninth at last Julyâs worlds and since has strictly raced on the roads and in cross country.
Menâs 100m â 3:39 p.m. ET
The entire podium from last yearâs worlds meets here: Kerley and countrymen Marvin Bracy-Williams and Trayvon Bromell. Itâs a similar field to last Sunday, when Kerley prevailed by five hundredths over South African Akani Simbine. Simbine is back, as is Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala, who is the worldâs fastest man this year (9.84) but was third in Rabat.
Womenâs 1500m â 3:49 p.m. ET
Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, a double Olympic and double world champion, ran the worldâs fastest time of 2023 at the Diamond League opener in Doha on May 5. Then last weekend, four different Ethiopians ran faster. Kipyegon figures to be faster in Florence than she was in Doha given the addition of Brit Laura Muir, the Olympic silver medalist and world bronze medalist, in her outdoor season debut.
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