By Rohith Nair
(REUTERS) – A reigning Olympic champion rediscovering his form, a defending world champion with a point to prove and the fastest man in 2022 will headline a packed 100 metres field when the World Championships get underway at Hayward Field in Eugene on Friday.

Olympic gold medallist Lamont Marcell Jacobs returns to the 100m big stage after muscle injuries ruled him out of several Diamond League meets and the Italian has been far from his best this season.

Having stunned the world with a European record time of 9.80 seconds in Tokyo, Jacobs has since been out of the limelight and has not run a sub-10 second race — without wind assistance — this year despite winning his fifth national title last month.

“If it were up to me I would compete at every opportunity, but this is what sport is all about. We are human beings, not machines,” Jacobs said before he headed to Eugene early to “test the waters”.

The Italian is up against stiff competition with a group of American sprinters vying for the title and ensuring the gold returns to the U.S. for a third consecutive time — none more so than Christian Coleman.