Marcell Jacobs experienced a disappointment. © APA/afp / PAUL ELLIS

Sprint-Dama: Suddenly Jacobs can no longer

There was a drama surrounding Italian sprint superstar Marcell Jacobs at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

August 11, 2026

From: dl

Great Britain celebrated a one-two finish in the 100m on Tuesday evening. Romell Glave, 26, won in 10,09 seconds, ahead of Jeremiah Azu (10,16) and Germany's Owen Ansah (10,19). Top favorite Lamont Marcell Jacobs faltered during the race and finished seventh. He had run a time of 10,08 in the semi-final.

The 31-year-old Italian had to practically give up shortly after the start and stood up at around the 50-meter mark, apparently due to a problem with his adductor muscle. He had already felt pain during the starting block test, and the cameras had captured a pained expression on his face.

The body is rebelling

Jacobs ran 9,67 seconds in Eisenstadt on July 1st, but with an illegal tailwind of 4,1 m/s. "I'm very sorry. I felt good after the semi-final. I was testing the starting blocks and felt very strong discomfort in my adductor muscles – exactly the same spot where I had already felt discomfort before Monte Carlo," said the Tokyo Olympic champion.

"I tested the starting blocks and experienced very strong discomfort in my adductor muscles." Marcell Jacobs

Jacobs, who comes from Manerba on Lake Garda, elaborated on his disappointment: “I’m disappointed, but I can’t turn back time. You can’t predict what happens to your body. It’s another lesson in my sporting career that I guess I had to learn.”