Olympic 100m champ Marcell Jacobs lays out 2023 plans
After two injury-affected seasons, the Italian is changing things up as he aims to stay healthy in 2023.
Athletics
Lamont Marcell Jacobs is clear about one thing: "I don't want to take any risks".
The Olympic 100m champion has been deciding his training plans for the 2023 season, but is hoping to avoid a repeat of the last two years, when he suffered mid-season injuries that hampered his form.
That means a slightly different approach ahead of the outdoor campaign culminating with August's track and field World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The Italian still plans to compete on the World Athletics Indoor Tour this winter beginning with the Bronze-level Copernicus Cup in Lodz, Poland, or the Silver-level Meeting de l'Eure in Val-de-Reuil, France, on 4 February.
But, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Jacobs says he has changed up his usual off-season preparations.
Marcell Jacobs' winter training
The 28-year-old is keen to stay healthy this season after a 2022 beset by injuries, leading to his withdrawal from the 100m semi-finals at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
"My winter training started on 24 October, later than usual," he told Gazzetta. "Last year around this time I was already using the starting blocks and spike shoes. Without them it's better for my muscles in general although it could cause problems for my hamstrings as the time my feet are in contact with the ground is longer.
"The solution is to run… slowly and that’s what I've done so far. I did many reps at 120, 150 metres, up to nine (reps). I increased my training with small hurdles as it helps my balance on both feet."
However, one issue he has found is a lack of suitable training partners.
"I'm looking for someone who can run 10.3, 10.4 over 100m so I can share the most intense sessions with him," Jacobs said. "It's hard to find an amateur runner in Rome who is flexible, or someone pro who could move to Rome."
One possibility, the Italian shared, is Côte d'Ivoire sprinter Arthur Cissé, "but the Ivorian federation hasn't given the green light yet."
Another change to Jacob's routine from past years is the location of his warm-weather camp in December. He trained for six years in Tenerife, Spain, but will switch this year to the Middle East.
"I'm going to Abu Dhabi, I will check the training facilities and if they are good I'll use them for my traditional training camp in January. After six years in Tenerife, I feel the need to change, although my coach is a bit worried about it."
Marcell Jacobs schedule for 2023
The Italian has his sights set on Poland or France to start his indoor season, before heading to the national indoor championships in Ancona two weeks later.
That will be followed by one or two events ahead of the European Indoor Championships in the first week of March in Istanbul, Turkey – but then things get complicated with the outdoor season.
"I plan to race in Diamond League as much as I can but I don't want to take any risks – in the last two years I got injured in May and it can't happen again," Jacobs said.
Who are his biggest challengers in 2023?
Jacobs named two men who he is wary of in the coming year – and they may come as a surprise. No, not world champion Fred Kerley – "he was silver medallist at the Olympics behind me" – nor fellow world medallists Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell.
Instead, Jacobs says, "I'm keeping an eye on Botswana's (Letsile) Tebogo, the junior world record holder, and Jamaica's (Oblique) Seville, the only one who beat me in 2022 because I was injured."
Marcell Jacobs's new friends outside athletics
Jacobs has been busy away from track and field too.
He's been spending more time with his family, having married wife Nicole Daza in September. "My life outside of athletics is important for my balance, starting with my family," he said. "After the wedding nothing has really changed, but it was an important step for me."
Aside from that, he's picked up some new famous friends.
Manchester United and Portugal football star Cristiano Ronaldo now follows the Italian track star on social media, which has helped Jacobs surpass 1 million Instagram followers.
"I've exchanged some messages on WhatsApp with him," Jacobs shared. And, in Abu Dhabi later this week, Jacobs will get to meet another of his idols.
"I'll attend the last Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season and join my idol OBJ (Odell Beckham Jr), NFL champion with the LA Rams, in some promotional events."