Tokyo Olympics Gold Medalist Marcell Jacobs Shockingly Withdraws Last Minute Ahead of Clash With Fred Kerley

The Tokyo Olympics saw a surprise winner in the 100m event as Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs took home the gold. With the track fielding the likes of Andre De Grasse and Fred Kerley, Jacobs came out of nowhere to take the win. Incidentally, he became the first Italian to qualify for and win the 100m event at the Olympic games.

Since the Olympics, Jacobs, and Kerley had not gone face to face. The third annual Kip Keino Classic event was going to be the first time the two sprinters would face off. But, in a piece of upsetting news for the fans, the Italian has had to withdraw from the race.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs pulls out of the Kip Keino Classic

Jacobs was due to renew his rivalry with Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley for the first time since their Olympic race. Not only that but the Italian would have also faced competition from Kenyan sensation Ferdinand Omanyala. A few weeks ago, Jacobs won the 60m race at the indoor event in Belgrade. This victory hyped up the much-anticipated return of the Olympic champion even more. But as it turns out, it wasn’t meant to be.

The Italian sprinter pulled out of the highly anticipated return at the last minute due to intestinal problems. ” “The Olympic champion made the decision this morning with his staff, due to intestinal problems which occurred yesterday (Friday) in Kenya,” wrote the Italian federation on its website. Marcell will not be reporting at the starting block for the race as he remains under observation in the emergency room.

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The news has left the fans disappointed as they were excited to see the showdown set to happen after almost a year.

Bolt’s reaction to Marcell taking his title

The Tokyo Olympics marked the first time that Usain Bolt was not in the 100m event since 2004. The Jamaican has been the most successful track athlete with a record of 8 gold medals at the Olympics. But it was finally time for a new champion to be crowned, and up stepped Jacobs.

According to Usain, the race was “very open” as there was no clear favorite going into the race.

Bolt believes that Jacobs has massively improved his sprint and credits him for stepping up when it mattered the most. He also said that it will be interesting to see what happens during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, the news of Jacobs’ withdrawal has left a big question mark on his legacy as he hasn’t been seen racing since the Tokyo games.

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