The drastic decision and the crude message of Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs: “I want to remind you that I am a human being”

Marcell Jacobs touched the sky with his hands at the Tokyo Games. On August 1, 2021, the clock at the Olympic Stadium was stuck at 9.80 and won the 100 meter race. The Italian sprinter became the first Olympic champion after the retirement of Usain Bolt, ended 25 years of domination of the American continent and Europe climbed back to the top of the podium after the British Linford Christie achieved it in Barcelona 92.

From then on, Jacobs could not return to that level; the best in 2022 was a 9.95 that allowed him to win the European Championship in Munich and an injury forced him to retire in the semifinals of the Oregon World Cup. His first outdoor competition this season was in the recent Diamond League in Paris: he finished seventh with 10.21 and after the criticism he received he decided to write a heartfelt message.

“I feel a great need to tell how I feel: it’s only right that they know. I started the season outdoors and it wasn’t what I wanted. However, even though I had been out for almost a month due to my physical problem and I knew that I wasn’t ready to achieve the results we all expected, I decided to hit the track knowing full well that a lot of people probably wouldn’t have understood that my goal was not the result of that race,” Jacobs’ post began on Instagram.

Precisely, the publication is the only one that the American-born sprinter keeps in his account because he made the decision to delete everything he had so far.

“It was important for me to get back on track. It was exciting to feel the joy explode in my chest when I entered the stadium, to feel the adrenaline in my body, to feel the warmth of the crowd and to see the eyes of my opponents. How I missed it!” added Jacobs, who acknowledged that he lacked “the necessary training” and referred to the criticism he received on his return to the competition.

“The criticisms, the attacks, the mockery came from those who don’t know and can’t even imagine how complicated the life of a professional athlete can be... All the results I had achieved seemed worthless. And I’m really sorry, because it would be nice if at such difficult times they would support me. But I don’t want to let this affect me and make decisions that aren’t right for me. I want to remind you that I am a human being and that I force my body to give 110% all the time,” he said.

The Italian’s message came after it was confirmed that a new physical problem will prevent him from being present at the European Team Games, which will be held from 23 to 25 June in Chorzow, Poland.

According to the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL), Jacobs suffered from a muscle problem and will aim to recover in the best way for the World Athletics Championship to be held in August in Budapest, Hungary.

“I will be reborn again, once again overcoming the obstacles that life throws before me. I will succeed, because I will never let anything or anyone stop me from dreaming and striving to achieve my goals. I hope to find them next to me again,” Jacobs closed.

Viviana met an American soldier in Vicenza and married him. They lived in Texas and on September 26, 1994, the future Olympic champion was born. “Twenty days later, his father was transferred to South Korea. It was impossible to follow him, so I decided to return to Italy,” said Marcell’s mother in an interview with La Gazzetta.

A teacher at school was in charge of leading the way for him. “Since he wasn’t particularly good at soccer, but he was fast, he said to me, ‘Why don’t you try another sport, such as athletics?’”Jacobs recalled in a note in Corriere della Sera. The start was in a long jump but in 2018 he won his first national title in the 100 meters and, from there, his career grew until his big night at the Tokyo Olympics. Getting back there, Marcell’s biggest goal.