Tokyo 2020 - Italy’s double Olympic sprint champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs to take rest of 2021 off

ByRichard Newman

Published 12/08/2021 at 15:42 GMT

The 26-year-old was the shock winner of the 100m at Tokyo 2020, and he followed that up by helping Italy’s 4x100m relay team to gold. Jacobs’ manager says he simply wants to take a break, even though he was due to compete at a Diamond League event in Eugene next weekend. He has recently distanced himself from his former nutritionist, who is being investigated for performance enhancing supplements.

Tokyo 2020’s shock Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs is to take the rest of the year off, with his manager insisting the decision is purely down to fatigue.

The Italian had never won a major outdoor medal before he set a new European record of 9.80 seconds to win gold in Japan. He then doubled that up by helping his country to 4x100m glory, running the second leg as the Italians pipped Team GB on the line to take top spot on the podium.

Since winning those titles, Jacobs has distanced himself from reports that his former nutritionist is being investigated for performance enhancing substances, saying he split from working with bodybuilder Giacomo Spazzini when he found out.

Tokyo 2020

'My son can't take medal to school now' - Kilty after Team GB 4x100m team stripped of Olympic silver

18/02/2022 at 21:49

"These controversies do not affect me," Jacobs told Il Messaggero this week.

I know that I got here by making many sacrifices. I have been through disappointments and defeats, but I always got back up and rolled my sleeves up.

"If I have reached this point, it is only thanks to hard work. They can write what they want."

'What a surprise!' - Jacobs celebrates shock gold for Italy in 100m upset

There are still five Diamond League meetings of the season to go, and Jacobs was due to compete in Eugene next weekend. The events are generally considered to be where the best track and field athletes in the world can make a decent income, but the Italian has chosen to skip the rest of 2021.

Asked in an Instagram Q&A when he would compete again, he simply responded “2022” on his story on Thursday afternoon.

"It is simply that Marcell has given so much this year, all he had, so to insist (on competing) would only mean risking an injury", his manager Marcello Magnani told Reuters.

• 'We are relaxed' - Jacobs says he split in March with nutritionist under investigation
• Marcell Jacobs the obvious successor to Bolt's sprint king crown - Rutherford

Tokyo 2020

Team GB stripped of Tokyo 2020 4x100m relay silver medal after Ujah loses doping case

18/02/2022 at 15:55

Tokyo 2020

Athletics already has the new Bolt - it’s time to appreciate Thompson-Herah

24/12/2021 at 14:04

Tokyo 2020

Thompson-Herah and Warholm named World Athletes of the Year

02/12/2021 at 09:48