The next instalment of the burgeoning Olli Hoare-Jake Wightman rivalry could happen at the Maurie Plant track and field meet in Melbourne in February.
The flying Scotsman was announced on Wednesday as the first major international signing for the second edition of the rebranded meet on February 15, which drew a sellout crowd to Lakeside Stadium last year.
Wightman shot to prominence with a thrilling win over legendary Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1500m at the 2022 world championships final in Eugene, Oregon.
Bitterly disappointed to have missed that final, Hoare turned the tables in spectacular style just a few weeks later in Birmingham when he surged home to become only the second Australian man to win Commonwealth 1500m gold.
Wightman had to settle for bronze in Birmingham.
A groin injury forced Hoare to miss much of the European summer season, including the world titles in Budapest.
He has been targeting a return to action at the world indoor championships in Glasgow in the first weekend of March, with the Maurie Plant Meet to take place a couple of weeks earlier.
Wightman's 2023 campaign was cruelled by a foot injury.
Although Hoare's participation remains up in the air, fellow Australian middle distance star Stewart McSweyn is relishing the prospect of squaring off against the 29-year-old Scot on home soil in the John Landy Mile.
"Having Jake in Melbourne will be an awesome addition to the Maurie Plant Meet," national 3000m record holder McSweyn said in a statement.
"He's one of the world's best milers and a guy that will be right in the mix for the Olympic title next year.
"To have the chance to race him in front of a home crowd is going to be really fun.
"It's also going to be a great opportunity for us Australian middle-distance guys to have a good early-season indicator of how we match up against one of the world's best."
Early in 2023, McSweyn joined up with Hoare, Jessica Hull and Abbey Caldwell to win bronze for Australia in the mixed team relay at the world cross-country championships in Bathurst.
The Tasmanian finished the season on a high, smashing the longstanding national mark in the 2000m at the Diamond League meet in Brussels.
