Marcell Jacobs splits with long-time coach Paolo Camossi: "It is right to separate our ways"

Double Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs has officially parted ways with his long-time coach.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian confirmed that he has ended his collaboration with Paolo Camossi , with whom he had been working since 2015 .

“We wrote the history of Italian and world athletics together. We shared beautiful moments, but life has its phases, and we have come to the conclusion that it is right to go our separate ways,” said the sprinter.

“It was a difficult decision; I won't deny it. Paolo was an important and fundamental guide for me. I wish him luck and success in his future professional endeavors. Even though our paths diverge, he remains a great coach in my eyes.”

It’s yet another twist in the career of the 2022 European Indoor champion, who has had a troubled past two seasons.

Since clinching double gold in the 100m and the 4x100m relay in Tokyo, the 28-year-old barely raced before pulling out of the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships due to injury.

He bounced back to win the 100m title at the 2022 European Championships in Munich.

At this year’s Worlds in Budapest, Jacobs again missed out on the final finishing fifth in the semis, before taking silver with the 4x100m relay team.

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Rumours regarding the split with Camossi emerged over the weekend in Italy during the commentary of the Diamond League Finals in Eugene.

Jacobs travelled to the Diamond League in Xiamen, People's Republic of China without his coach and finished seventh in the 100m with a time of 10:05.

In Zagreb, a week later on 10 September, Camossi was once again absent in Zagreb. The sprinter secured third place with a time of 10.08 seconds, just behind Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala. Jacobs, however, still fell short of breaking the 10-second mark and achieving the Paris 2024 qualifying standards.

Camossi, a former Italian athlete who won the world indoor triple jump championship in 2001 and competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, started working with Jacobs when the latter was just 20 years old and still training as a long jumper.

What next for Jacobs?

As he continues to pursue Olympic qualification, Jacobs must make a swift decision regarding his new coach and training camp in preparation for defending his titles at the 2024 European Championships in Rome and the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The 2022 world indoor champion, who signed a long-term contract with Puma last February, will undoubtedly relocate his training base from Rome.

Staying in Italy could be the most favorable option for him, and there are already reports linking him to another Italian coach, Marco Airale.

Airale, a former track and field athlete based in Padua, has worked with several Italian sprinters and is particularly renowned for guiding British sprinters Reece Prescod, Daryll Neita, and Jeremiah Azu.

Alternatively, Jacobs could choose to move to the U.S., where many of the world's top sprinters are based.