Olympic 100m champion Jacobs to run at world championships

Italy’s shock Olympic 100 metre champion Marcell Jacobs will bid to add the world crown to his medals cabinet despite an injury-affected campaign, the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) said on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old will be on the start line for the 100m heats which get underway on Friday, the first day of the world championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Jacobs kicked off the season with world 60m indoor gold in Belgrade, but a thigh injury in mid-May has disrupted his outdoor campaign withdrawing at short notice from several meets.

“The double Olympic champion (he also won 4×100 metres relay gold in Tokyo) will take part in the 100m heats scheduled for Friday,” said the federation in a statement.

“The decision was taken after a discussion between the athlete, his coach Paolo Camossi and the technical directors of the Italian team after reassuring news coming out of his training camp at Beaverton, near Portland.”

Camossi told Wednesday’s edition of newspaper Corriere della Sera, the injury cloud had been well and truly lifted.

“The physical problem has been resolved, he does not feel any pain at all,” said Camossi.

Jacobs, who has also been affected by intestinal problems this season which forced him to withdraw from the Nairobi meet at the beginning of May, has run just two 100m this term.   

He timed 9.99 seconds, aided by a favourable wind, on May 18 and then on June 25 won the Italian title in a time of 10.12sec, far from the European record of 9.80sec he set when winning the Olympic title in Tokyo last year.