Reigning Olympic 100 metre champion Marcell Jacobs today (November 22) challenged sprint legend Usain Bolt to a race, days after the Jamaican superstar declared he could have won the blue riband event at the Tokyo Games. 

Bolt, in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) last Sunday in Dubai, bemoaned the current state of sprinting among Jamaica’s men, adding that the winning time of 9.80 seconds was ‘within reach’.

“I really missed it. I was like, I wish I was there,” he said in the interview at the Dubai offices of his sponsor, PepsiCo. “Because, for me, I live for those moments. So it was hard to watch.”

Well, a week later and Jacobs, who said he greatly reveres Bolt as an idol, called out the 35-year-old retiree on his official Instagram page, daring him for a chance to prove him wrong. 

“You are my hero, so thanks for the hat’s off! But you also said you’re sure you’d win, so I’m up for the challenge!” exclaimed Jacobs, born in the United States to an American father but raised in Italy by his Italian mother.

Jacobs, who has not run a single race since copping gold in Tokyo, wants to start his challenge to the Jamaican world record holder ‘small’.

“How about starting with a charity capture the flag? You bring your team and I’ll bring mine!” he added, tagging Bolt in his Instagram post.

Capture the flag, or “rubabandiera” as it is known in Italy, is a schoolyard game played by children in which two teams race to capture the other team’s flag, located at the team’s “base”, and bring it safely back to their own base.

Since his AFP declaration, Bolt, who has been busy in Dubai, has yet to publicly respond to the challenge.

The eight-time Olympic gold medalist is no stranger to provocations, as Bolt had previously expressed a willingness to ‘silence’ NFL player Tyreek Hill at a 70 metres dash back in August. 

Always confident, Bolt, in an interview with TMZ Sports, went as far as suggesting that the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver may be scared to put his Super Bowl ring on the line against his Olympic gold in a race.