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Jacobs has been tipped to struggle at the Paris 2024 Olympics after producing a dismal outing in his last meet, but Gatlin has warned fans to write the Italian off at their own peril.
Former American sprint star Justin Gatlin has come to the defense of Lamont Marcell Jacobs as the Italian sprinter gears up to defend his Olympic 100m crown at the Paris 2024 Olympics this August.
Jacobs, who shocked the world by winning gold in the 100 meters at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games with a European record of 9.80 seconds, has faced significant skepticism and criticism.
His unexpected victory, followed by another gold in the 4x100m relay, left pundits questioning the legitimacy of his achievements. Before 2020, Jacobs had never broken the 10-second barrier and had only one notable title, the European indoor 60m gold.
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15:00 - 24.07.2024
Justin Gatlin reveals when he hilariously had to take home thousands of dollars in a paper bag after winning athletics meets
Gatlin has opened up on a hilarious time he was forced to go home carrying a load of cash in a paperbag instead of having it wired to his account after winning a meet.
Following his success in Tokyo, Jacobs withdrew from high-profile Diamond League meets in Eugene, Brussels, and Zurich, citing fatigue and a knee problem.
His performances since then have been unconvincing, including a failure to make the final of the World Championships in Budapest. Recently, he won a meet in Rieti with a time of 10.8 seconds, further fueling doubts about his chances in Paris.
However, Jacobs showed a glimpse of his potential by clocking 9.92 seconds to win the 100m at the Paavo Nurmen Games in Turku, his fastest time since Tokyo.
Speaking on his Ready-Set-Go podcast, Gatlin offered insights and support for Jacobs, emphasizing what he needs to do to regain his form for Paris.
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18:33 - 18.06.2024
Marcell Jacobs sounds Olympic title defense warning with fastest time since Tokyo 2021
Marcell Jacobs followed up his successful European Championship 100m title defence with a sub-10s clocking to win the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.
“He has a couple of weeks but must put something together. He has to navigate very intelligently through the rounds so he has that moment he had in 2021,” Gatlin stated.
“Nowadays, it is different from when we trained. Now they got the modalities and the 1080 machines. They can do tow work, resistance work and more, so whatever you need to get faster over a short amount of time, there are things out there that can help you get there.”
Gatlin highlighted Jacobs' surprising rise to Olympic gold, noting, “No one was checking for him in 2021 and he came out with Olympic gold. We do not know the back story but only see the results.
“ He could be still in the gym, he could be loading. He might have thought it was a good race after having two days of just letting your muscles relax and go out and run. If he takes the next four or five days to take that heaviness off his legs, he might be in sub ten shape.”
Reflecting on Jacobs' past performance, Gatlin added, “He went into 2021 with a 9.93 and yet he finished the finals with a 9.8.”
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