admin
Rarely has an Olympic 100 metres champion been so belittled or so maligned as Italy’s Marcell Jacobs.
It is fair to say the Texas-born Italian stunned the field to snatch gold in the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games, in a European record of 9.80sec.
He made it double gold just days later by helping Italy to victory in the 4x100m relay, again a result that left pundits shocked and opened up a Pandora’s box of questions.
A former long jumper, Jacobs had vastly improved his 100m times that season under then-coach Paolo Camossi. Before 2020, Jacobs had never gone below the 10-second barrier and his sole title of note was European indoor 60m gold.
But after his stunning success in Tokyo, Jacobs went off the radar, pulling out of the high-profile Eugene, Brussels and Zurich Diamond League meets, citing fatigue and a knee problem.
His conspicuous absence raised eyebrows. Being the men’s Olympic 100m champion carries a kudos, attracting meet organisers and sponsors alike and to go AWOL didn’t chime well with traditionalists.
“I’m not even bothered by the gratuitous malice about doping,” the 29-year-old said in September 2021 of insinuations that his success was partly fuelled by performance-enhancing drugs.
Jacobs may have temporarily disappeared off the track scene, but he bounced back in style, claiming the world indoor 60m crown and a first European 100m gold in 2022.
A series of injuries ensued that saw him withdraw from the semifinals of the 2022 world outdoor championships in Eugene with a thigh injury while he didn’t qualify for the final at last year’s worlds in Budapest.
“People’s criticism really hit me hard,” he told the Guardian newspaper. “It came from everywhere – from Italy and abroad. As if I wasn’t competing because I was afraid.
“I’ve never been afraid of anything in my life. I wasn’t competing because I wasn’t able to. It was a difficult time because you train to get results and not getting them was hard. The two post-Olympic years were difficult years.
“I think there was a lot of shock and discomfort with an Italian winning 100m gold.”
Jacobs showed his resolve by upending his life, both professionally and personally, changing coach in Olympic year and moving, with his family, to the United States to work under Rana Reider. – SuperSport
Online Reporter