Marcell Jacobs, the Olympic 100m champion, is flying under the radar as he prepares for the Paris Games.
On April 27, he ran 10.11 seconds in Jacksonville, Florida.
What happened?
Jacobs has had a series of physical issues, including an injured thigh muscle, which led him to withdraw from the semifinals at the 2022 worlds.
He then didn’t qualify for the final at worlds last year.
Why it matters for Marcell Jacobs
The 29-year-old Jacobs hasn't won all that much over the past two years, but he's now working with experienced coach Rana Reider.
Reider said they've been trying to figure out why Jacobs was carrying so many injuries for so many years.
Jacobs told The Associated Press, “It’s good because I can stay under the radar.
I can do my preparation, my race, without thinking about what the other people think about me.”
What comes next?
Jacobs hasn't been bothered by physical issues in his four races since April, with times of 10.07 in Rome on May 18, 10.19 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on May 28, and 10.03 in Oslo, Norway, on May 30.
These times are a long way off the 9.80 he won with in Tokyo.
Nicoletta Romanazzi, Jacobs' mental coach, said they spoke a lot about criticism, but it hardly even bothered him.
Romanazzi added that other items were more complex, like helping Jacobs deal with all of the changes in his life.
Jacobs also helped Italy to gold in the 4x100m relay in Tokyo and became an instant celebrity at home.
Reider said, “The athlete knows how to run 0-100 but then you have to figure out, ’What does my agent do?
What does everyone else have to do around me to try and guard me.”
Jacobs is now focused on defending his title at the Paris Games.
He said, “I don’t need to win all the races, but I want to arrive at the Olympics and win again.”