"The moment I started doing Athletics, it was like a kind of magic"- Reigning Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs opens up on his introduction to track

Marcell Jacobs was quick to recognize his love for athletics when he was also trying out other sports like basketball and football. The 100m reigning Olympic champion felt the 'magic' as soon as he was introduced to the track.

Marcell Jacobs stands with the current European record in 60m alongside the 100m European record. As the first Italian track and field athlete to achieve the 100m gold podium, Jacobs' career catapulted to success after that.

Having been a long jumper before, Jacobs switched to full-time sprinting in 2019 in the wake of persistent injuries sustained from leaps. The same year, he ran the 100m in a personal best time of 10.03s to become the third fastest in Italian athletics history.

2021 was a remarkable year for Marcell Jacobs since his triple sprinting achievement (Olympic gold, 60m European record-break, and 100m European record-break) happened then. However, the 29-year-old played basketball and football in his initial sporting days.

Since both games involve dodging, players run across the court/field to keep the ball safe from the opponent team. On seeing Jacobs' speed in doing so, his football coach, Adriano Bertazzi, suggested that he try athletics. That was the instance when Marcell Jacobs' life changed.

In an interview with the Roma European Athletics Championships team, the two-time Olympic gold medalist shared how stepping into athletics for the first time was magical to him, even though he played basketball and football before.

"I started playing sports. I started with basketball, then football. In the meantime, I also started athletics. The moment I started doing athletics, it was like a kind of magic, something that got inside and made me realize that this was the sport I wanted to do."

"The goal was not just to win" - Marcell Jacobs on leaving an impact on people

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, his 100m winning time of 9.80s was the fastest run by an athlete who was not Jamaican or American. That feat etched his name as the 10th fastest man in all-time history, sharing the position with Steve Mullings. However, going into the race, he was not considered a top seed, with turf accountants predicting his chance of winning to be only three percent.

Nevertheless, he went into the race and won the gold, the first ever by an Italian. His winning mindset was to leave a lasting impact and win hearts besides earning medals.

"I told myself, 'One day you will win the Olympics, you will win everything possible'. The goal was not just to win, but to become an example; to win everything and be an example to others," as told to Roma European Championships.

Marcell Jacobs will compete at the 2024 Roma European Athletics Championships, set to take place from June 7 to 12, 2024. This event will work as his build-up to the Paris Olympics.