“I want to be remembered in the history books. Bolt’s record? I don’t set myself limits»- Corriere.it

Marcell Jacobs, double Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, when will he make his outdoor debut?

“We haven’t scheduled the first race yet, but it won’t be before the end of May or early June.”

What did he tell you that you didn’t already know about the defeat against Ceccarelli at the European indoor championship?


«All the things that happen, positive or negative, are a teaching. I take this defeat, a defeat in quotation marks because it is still a silver medal for Italy, like a spur: there are always things that don’t go as you would like. We are working hard to get ready for the goal: the World Cup».

How do you manage the frailties of a sprinter?

«We sprinters do not consider ourselves fragile athletes, we work every day in the gym and on the track, bringing the body to the limit. It is normal that some complications arise, it is sport ».

Will he run the relay?

“Certain. Definitely in the European Cup and the World Cup. At the end of the month we will have a second meeting, then it will be up to the national coach, based on the planning we will do with him, to decide where it will be more appropriate to compete. In Paris I would gladly run the 4×100 if the times allowed it, since I would also have to run the 100. We all want the same thing: to win again for Italy».

The indoor season gave her mixed sensations.

«I had been without competitions for many months, I had to dissolve the emotional tensions. Starting with a win in Lodz is always good. If I run as I know, at 60 I should stay under 6”50 fixed. But in training many things are seen, others not: they emerge in the race. In the tests, times had come out that I hadn’t achieved even before the indoor gold medal in Belgrade. But the preparation is aimed at the 100 in Budapest».

172 days without competitions, in fact, is a lot. Too many?

«I missed the adrenaline, putting myself on the line. The tender is the verification of the work. I like the whole package: getting the team together, the journey, joining the mood. This year I want to rock out in the Diamond League. Rabat and the Golden Gala dance: if I make my debut in Morocco, I’ll do both».

He was also an innovator in the self-financed meeting in Dubai, hosted by the prince

.

«He invited me to his sports centre, he told me: this is your home. We had a good time, we had everything. We have always been careful not to weigh too much on the expenses of the Federation: this year we have tried not to weigh anything at all».

Objection: Wasn’t it too much for just one month? Didn’t you miss the confrontation, which was then reflected in the indoor ones?

«Well, even in Tenerife I trained mostly alone. I was coming from a moment where I wanted to get away from everything: attention, stress, selfies. In Dubai I entered a bubble, I only thought about training. Faggin, junior sprint champion, has arrived and I challenged Alberto, my physio, who tries to keep up with me».

Between indoors and outdoors, the world has divided up. And the provocations of the Americans.
“We’ll see you on the track. Lyles in his 60s impressed me: you can see how much he worked. And watch out for Micah Williams, born in 2001».

Is Lyles on 100 good news?

«Tokyo year also wanted to dub, then he couldn’t. In the 200m he is at a level where he doesn’t have many rivals but in the 100m everything changes: there is much more competition. His idea of ​​lapping at the Trials, which are like an Olympics for him, is very challenging. Ditto at the World Cup. Three shifts out of 100, three out of 200: can you handle them? Does he want to try to get two medals or one, but gold? It’s not really a health walk…”.

Meanwhile, Lyles is the elegant arbiter: he arrived in Boston dressed in Prada.

«I saw it, I don’t miss a thing! That was an idea that I would have liked to launch: show up signed, rather than in overalls, to the race. Like in the NBA, when they get off the bus to go to the locker room: they’re all stylish, with rings, earrings, visible brands. Entering the stadium parading as if it were a fashion event is something I would love to do».

It was preceded, though.

«We need to create the structure: at Diamond you go directly to the heating field, there is no tunnel to go through. Bringing athletics and fashion together, create a little bit of hype around the event, it would drive me crazy.’

Americans study all your videos, Marcell.

«In fact, I no longer posted good starts on Instagram! I don’t want them to vivisection my supports! I only post videos of the worst starts, at the cost of being told: Marcell, once you came out better from the blocks… But I like being social, the fans want to participate, the message that I work hard and that you have to chase your dreams must pass” .

The team is now family-run.

«At a certain point I had to make decisions, I reflected: who better than my mother who loves me selflessly can help me? My brother Niccolò, 20, follows my social networks together with our friend Simone, who grew up with us in Desenzano. I feel at ease, I know they are working for my good.”

2022 has been complicated. What is there not to repeat?

«My whole career is studded with injuries and problems. I have always learned the lessons, but nothing can be done against the unexpected. 2022 was perfect until the indoor world championship gold with a European record. I was like God: I had managed to make a personal best on 120 by almost half a second. Then the virus in Kenya slowed me down. I was in too much of a hurry to return, with a World Cup and a European Championship, where I won gold, right after. I’ve learned not to be in a hurry, that’s all.”

Shoe change: is the purpose to file thousandths?


«The adaptation was not immediate: changing the technical material is never easy. Puma’s project is to work on a new Bolt. I have created an Academy in Desenzano, which I will inaugurate next week: I would like to try and help young people».

But Bolt’s legacy is a crushing boulder.

«Maybe someone can feel intimidated, I get excited. I see it as an opportunity: to try to connect my personal story with the legend of a sprinter who is an absolute idol for me. Equal to him it will be difficult: he won three golds at the Olympics! I will never make the 200 at the Games».

Isn’t that 9”58 that paralyzes the others an impossible mountain to climb?

«It’s an out of this world time, but if I think that in 2020 I ran in 10″11 and the following year I won the Olympic gold with 9″80 I tell myself: why limit myself? By adding 3 cm per step and maintaining the same frequencies for a certain number of steps, I would reach the finish line 90 cm earlier. We are talking about 3 cm, not an eternity. And then 9”56 haunts me…».

Meaning what?

«I’m not superstitious but on the alarm clock, in the morning, I always see 9.56. I dress the children, which Nicole takes to school. Then maybe I go back to bed, close my eyes, open them again: 9.56. I swear. Also this morning. It is not accidental!».

Nothing is. How would you like to be remembered in 100 years?

«Like one of those sportsmen who rewrote history and is told in books. Do you know LeBron James?”.