Jacobs at the World Athletics Championships in the semifinals disappointing: “I felt limited”

From our correspondent Andrea Buongiovanni

& commat; abuongi

July 16
– EUGENE (USA)

Marcell Jacobs, finally. The blue returns to compete abroad in the open after the magical days of Tokyo and that golden Olympics seems far away. More than the year that has actually elapsed. The policeman from Brescia is second in the fourth of seven heats of the 100 World Championships in Eugene in 10 ”04 (+0.2), equal to Savona’s seasonal staff, beaten by the 21-year-old Jamaican Oblique Seville (9” 93). With seven athletes under ten seconds, his is the tenth time trial of the day. Fred Kerley, meanwhile, in front of his audience, flies: 9 ”79 (+0.1). No one, in a qualifying round of a global review, had ever gone so fast. The previous “primacy” belonged to the trinidegno Ato Boldon who ran in 9 ”87 at the 1997 Athens World Championships. Only a little less is his compatriot Trayvon Bromell: 9 ”89 (+0.6). Back to Jacobs. It is not the result that the fans expected. Instead, it’s a logical performance considering his last two and a half months. His action suffers from the long narrow gauge period. It lacks brilliance, it is not as effective as usual.

The analysis

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The post-race analysis of Paolo Camossi’s pupil is very clear: “I knew I wasn’t 100% – he explains – I’m not very well, but I wanted to be here in every possible way. I didn’t mind the start and neither did the first part of the race. But when I usually bring out the best, the physical problem that accompanies me has not allowed me to bring out my real race, to let myself go, to advance as I usually do. I felt like another me. Limited. When I saw Seville leave, I would have had to harden myself to try and get it back. But I realized that I was in a good position to go through and I preferred to let it go. Now I will spend the night in physiotherapy to try to get back to my best “.

The inspiration

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In fact, it is already time to think about the semifinal, scheduled from 3 am on Sunday night in Italy. “It will be hard, it will be very hard – sighs Marcell – but I’m here and I throw myself. I have seen my opponents run really strong: but it will be another day and I will try to wake up better. With Paolo we told ourselves that if I felt very bad I would stop, if I finished it is because the situation is not so serious, it is manageable. I would certainly have margins if I did not have pain, but so … The Americans? I had no doubts: I’m at home and after last year’s blow they put things back on their feet. This stadium, with the track close to the grandstand, is beautiful. I want to be inspired ”.

The others

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The junior world record also arrives: the 19-year-old Botswano Letsile Tobogo prints a 9 ”94 (+1.1) full of promise. It is the fourth chrono of the batteries. Followed by the British Zharnel Hughes (9 “97), the only European able to do better than Jacobs, the Japanese Abdul Sani Brown (9” 98), the Liberian Emmanuel Matadi (10 “00) and the Ivorian Arthur Cissè (10 “02). The Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10 ”10), who landed in Eugene three hours before his race after a thousand visa problems, passes by. Among the rejected British Reece Prescod (10 ”15), Yupun Abeykoon, Sinhalese from Rome (10” 19) and the blue Chituru Ali (10 ”40), after an unwatchable start.

The semifinal

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Jacobs will compete in the third of the three semi-finals, at 6.14 pm local time, 3.14 am on Sunday in Italy. He will be in the fourth lane, with Bracy in third, Tebogo in fifth, Seville (again him) in sixth and Omanyala in seventh. The best two of each sprint plus the authors of the two best times will pass into the final (scheduled less than two hours later). For the blue, perhaps, it is a possible undertaking.