A legacy so strong that inevitably poses the question of who in their right mind would want to follow that?
Luckily for sprint fans, Marcell Jacobs is only too happy to spearhead the next generation of track stars following’s Bolt’s retirement and the Italian has his sights set on more Olympic success in Paris this summer.
Born in Texas to an Italian mother and an American father, Jacobs relocated to Italy when his father, a United States serving soldier, was stationed in South Korea.
It was there he began taking an interest in athletics after dabbling in football and basketball before realising his talent at long jump, where he saw success at both national and international level.
He later turned his attention to sprinting, citing long jump as a trigger for injuries and it was there when he finally found his calling.
Further success ensued at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when he replaced Bolt as 100m champion and became the first Italian to win the men’s 100 metres. His time of 9.80 seconds was just shy of Bolt’s record 9.58 seconds that he set in 2009.
Days later, Jacobs struck gold again, this time in the 4×100 relay, proving his success was no fluke.
Since then, the 29-year-old has encountered a rise to superstardom and the opportunity to experience life in the spotlight.
Be the first to comment