«You also learn from knockouts, I get back to work»- Corriere.it

Goodbye unbeaten (20 consecutive victories), Marcell Jacobs’ smile wrinkles. In Lievin, France, in the second indoor outing of the season after the decent 6″57 in Lodz, the Olympic champion not only fails to improve (6”57 also yesterday) but gives the success to the Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omaniala27-year-old of the Luhya ethnic group, who precedes him by three hundredths of a second on the finish line (6”54) with a slightly higher reaction time.

In the meeting where it shines Claudio Stecchi in the auction (Italian record, equaled the measure of his coach Giuseppe Gibilisco with 5.82 in the first round after 19 years), Jacobs is unable to get rid of the rust that had encrusted his debut in Poland, there was the alibi of 172 days away from the races, a huge amount, a progression to Lievin was certainly expected. It does not arrive, however, and the characteristics of the race of the king of Olympia seem to follow the dusty release of ten days ago: when he gets up, in the moment of launching, Marcell is unable to find the ancient fluidity and the horses in the engine remain unexpressed potential. He also learns from defeats, not the first time. Starting tomorrow I’ll be back with my head down to work on the things that need to be corrected, as I’ve done so far. I want to face the next appointments in the best possible way. Congratulations to Omanyala, we will meet again….

The evening had begun without wow in the heat, when the blue had annexed the first place with a time trial (6”64) which suggested ample room for improvement in the final. Dressed in blue and black by the new sponsor, Jacobs in the 60 hadn’t lost since February 12, 2021before the exciting ride that had brought him to European gold (6″47, in Torun), to the first Italian record in the 100m (9″95, in Savona) and, above all, to Olympic gold (9″ 80, in Tokyo, new European record).
The syncopated calendar of indoor athletics, awaiting the outdoor debut in the Diamond League (in Rabat on May 28 or at the Golden Gala, in Florence, on June 2), offers Jacobs the ransom already on Sunday in Ancona, in the 60 meters of the indoor Absolutes. However, it is clear that only by downshifting will Marcell be able to present himself in Istanbul at the beginning of March as a favorite for the gold of the indoor European Championships, of which he is the reigning champion. While the world started running again at a much higher speed (ring of Bromell, 6″42, return of Coleman, 6″47, paw of Williams, 6″49, born in 2001, good signals also from Lyles, 6″51), in the old continent Reece Prescod looks down on everyone on the wings of the 6”49 which makes him the European leader. And the Germans Hartmann (6″53) and Wagner (6″55) are also advancing quickly. He urges to run (literally) for cover.