For Marcell Jacobs, the approach to Paris began with a start-up period, due to the fact that he chose to change the environment, technician and type of training. So in the very first races of this season he appeared a little overwhelmed by the work done, his running wasn’t round and his frequency was rather low. Turku’s evening, with the 9″92 he ran in the 100m final after having recorded a 9″99 in heat, tells us that in recent weeks there has been a progression that has led him to eliminate uncertainties and run fast . It’s a very positive thing, it shows progress. Previously he had lost twice to the Canadian De Grasse, in Finland he gave him a meter.
Here’s Marcell again
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We finally saw some glimpses of Jacobs’ best. His start from the block can still be perfected, so much so that Ali – who at 198 cm is a long man compared to him – started in front of him. But then there was the acceleration and after 50 meters we once again witnessed him pulling away from his opponents until they disappeared from the radar as had happened in the good old days of the Tokyo Olympics. We haven’t seen this attitude yet this season, so we are happy and confident. Furthermore, that sort of arrhythmicity in the running, that trend that almost seemed to make him limp and which was instead a theme of asymmetry, seems to have disappeared. The frequency has risen significantly, we are above 4.40, the engine rpm is therefore starting to be very high despite retaining a significant amplitude, higher than in Tokyo. There he ran the final with 45 steps, therefore at a higher frequency, now he is at 44 steps. We are therefore on the right track. However, this does not automatically mean that Jacobs will go on to win gold at the Paris Games. I am convinced that in the Olympic final, the medal that counts most will be awarded around 9″80, as happened in Japan. On Tuesday at the Nurmi Games Marcell ran 9″92 also thanks to the help of a generous wind, so there is still a meter to be removed. Then we can go back to having fun. I don’t think Jacobs is at his best yet but so far in his performances his progression has been constant. And I don’t think he’s upfront about the condition.
the latest appointments
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Now is the right time to race fast, at the end of the month there will be the US and Jamaican Trials and you have to travel there to qualify. For Marcell it’s time to reach that peak condition that he will then have to maintain for a month. Also because the closer we get to the Games, the more difficult it will be, between rallies, work on relays and other races, to carry out micro-cycles of recharging. At that point he will work on the chisel, which is why it is important to have good quantities of work in stock. The Italian championships will take place on 29 and 30 June in La Spezia and even getting into the relay is starting to be tough, given Ali’s performance in Finland. In recent weeks he and Jacobs have progressed together, those four hundredths of a distance on Tuesday are the same as on May 18th at the Stadio dei Marmi (10″07 to 10″11) and are very close to the three in the European Championship final (10″02 at 10”05). Seeing them progress together is very beautiful. For now Marcell manages to keep him at arm’s length, but Ali is becoming a tough nut to crack.
