Can Marcell Jacobs defend his 100m Olympic Title? A look into the Italian athlete's 2024 performances

Nobody knew Lamont Marcell Jacobs Jr. before the Tokyo Olympics. Jacobs did the impossible on August 1, 2021, as the Italian runner completed the 100m in just 9.8 seconds, a new European record. Not only that, Lamont Marcell Jacobs Jr. became the first European sprinter to win an Olympic gold medal since Linford Christie of UK achieved it in Barcelona Olympics, 1992.

In 2024, Marcell Jacobs is set to defend his 100m Olympic title. However, Jacobs is nowhere near his best as of now, and this year he has been struggling to get under 10 seconds.

After Tokyo Olympics, Marcell Jacobs decided to prove his mettle at the World Championships held at Eugene, Oregon, in 2022. The Italian qualified for the semifinals with ease. However, an injury sustained in the heats knocked him out from the semifinals.

Even though he won a gold medal at European Championships, and later a silver medal at the 4 x 100m relay event in the 2023 World Championships, Marcell Jacobs was far from his best.

Marcell Jacobs of Italy [2nd from Left] at the European Championships [Image Source: Getty]

Even in the current season, Marcell Jacobs has struggled to go under 10 seconds. His seasonal best has been 9.92 seconds, which he achieved at the Paavo Nurmi Games held in Turku, Finland. This is certainly not a great sign for someone who has to defend his Olympic title in less than a fortnight from now.

Jacobs is, however, far from disappointed. To quote an excerpt from his post on X almost a month ago:

"It is only through dedication, hard work, and focus on your goals that you can achieve your dreams, and just as I did, you can too! Because I believe in you!" [via X]

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Marcell Jacobs's rivals for the 100m title

Who can overcome Marcell Jacobs in 100 m at Paris Olympics? [Image Source: Getty]

Marcell Jacobs has recently won the Paavo Nurmi Games and the European Championships to prove that he is more than ready for the Paris Olympics, and will give his best to defend his title.

However, the road to the gold medal is far from a cakewalk. To begin with, Marcell Jacobs faces the biggest competition from Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, who recently achieved a personal best of 9.77 seconds at the Jamaican Olympic trials.

He is closely followed by Fred Kerley from the USA, who had also won the silver medal in 100m at Tokyo Olympics. Kerley has a personal best of 9.76 seconds, and he would love to end the two-decade-old gold medal drought for USA in the 100m. Justin Gatlin had last won a gold medal for USA in 100m at Athens Olympics in 2004.

Fred Kerley and Kishane Thompson are being given tough competition by Noah Lyles of USA and Andre de Grasse from Canada. Noah Lyles recently recorded a personal best of 9.80 at the U.S. Olympic Trials, while Andre de Grasse had won the bronze medal in 100m at both Rio Olympics 2016 and Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Interestingly, Andre De Grasse has also beaten Marcell Jacobs at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet held in May 2024. It would be interesting to see how Marcell Jacobs overcomes these sprinters and defends his Olympic title.