Marcell Jacobs and Fred Kerley race in the Olympic 100m final (© Getty Images)
Two-time Olympic champion sprinter Marcell Jacobs of Italy is determined to arrive in the Hungarian capital in explosive form and to leave with a gold medal in his pocket.
In an exclusive interview with the M1 Hungarian news channel, the 28-year-old short distance runner said that the only thing missing from his medal collection is a World Outdoor Championships gold medal, and that the biggest sporting event of 2023, from 19 to 27 August, will be a particularly important event for him.
"I've been training a lot, I'm trying to build myself up perfectly for the WCH, in fact, since last year we've been building up the training to culminate in Budapest," said Jacobs, who has a European Outdoor and Indoor Championships gold medal and a World indoor Championships gold medal, in addition to his Olympic gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m relay in Tokyo.
"It's unbelievable, but it's been almost two years since those victories in Tokyo. I'll never forget the triumphant moments, my childhood dream came true with the Olympic success," recalled Jacobs of his astonishing performance in the Japanese capital, adding that the two medals in Tokyo are a lifetime memory and a way for him to get through the tough times.
"It was very difficult to deal with the overall less successful period after the Olympics. To be honest, the indoor season started well, as I won the world title with a European record in the 60m. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, but then came the injuries that can ruin any athlete's life," he said of the post-Tokyo Olympics period, adding that the biggest problem was not being able to pinpoint the reason for his inability to recover from the series of injuries.
"I had to pull myself together mentally and spiritually, because while my opponents were competing, I was watching them on TV at home. Luckily I persevered and managed to win the European 100m title, which was definitely a relief," said Jacobs.
"My clear goal is to be world champion in Budapest! It's the only medal I'm still hungry for. I want to get it by any means necessary," said the athlete, who started as a long jumper and said in the interview that it was possible he would try his talent in long jump in a few competitions before retiring.
As for the men's 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on the evening of 20 August, Jacobs said it could be a "real fireworks extravaganza".
"Me and my rivals will arrive in Budapest in explosive form, but in the end there will only be one winner. And that will be me, believe me! I'm already on pins and needles, I'm looking forward to the start, please keep your fingers crossed for me and I'll reward you with an unforgettable victory," concluded the Italian sprinter star.
source: Hungarian News Agency
