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Is Marcell Jacobs Injury-Prone? Yes. However That’s the Wrong Question
The Olympic champion’s recurring injuries aren’t evidence that he’s fragile. They illustrate the razor-thin margin between elite sprint performance and the body’s ability to tolerate it. At the ’26 European Championships, the headliner in the men’s 100m was defending champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy, holder of the 9.80 European record set during his 2021 Tokyo Olympic triumph. After an effortless semifinal win, securing another title seemed like a formality. Then, roughly 40 meters into the race, Jacobs pulled up with an injury – reigniting debate over whether he is simply too fragile to sustain elite sprinting. The Injury Prone Label When Jacobs first appeared in the Tokyo Olympics, I was…
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Men’s 100m Outlook, 2024
The annual post season “break” is almost over. That period of time after the final meet of the year when elite athletes go on vacations, rest, and recharge their batteries. Anywhere from a few weeks for some, to a couple of months for others. Recovery from the wars of the season, before beginning preparation for the next season, which in this case will be an Olympic year! Ah yes, the Olympics. One of the grandest sporting spectacles on the planet. And as crazy as it sounds, we’re less than 300 days away from the big event! This is why I want to start looking ahead to what I feel will…
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How Fast in 2022?
The full question is actually duplicate questions. Spurred by the boasting of one Fred Kerley. The questions are. How fast will Fred Kerley run in 2022? And, how fast will the fastest sprinter run in 2022? Where does this come from? It comes from Kerley saying he is going to break the WR this year. Now, this is as bold a statement as an athlete can make these days. As the current record in the event is 9.58, set by Usain Bolt in 2009 in Berlin Germany. Many say it’s not possible because it was Bolt that set the record. I say no, not because it was Bolt, but because…
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Up and Coming
One of the hottest indoor seasons in recent memory, is coming to a close. As we get ready to head outdoors, I wanted to take a look at a few athletes that have proven worthy of being on someone’s watch list – mine. Every Olympic year, there are athletes that emerge that no one thought about the year before that become good enough to go to the Games. New exciting performers that make this sport what it is. This indoor season, we’ve seen a plethora of top level performances, including some unexpected ones by some up and coming athletes. Here are a few collegiate and Europeans, that have recently found…
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My Favorite All Time Female Middle Distance
Well I see my female sprinters list raised a few questions. But then the history of women’s sprinting is full of superstars, which make trying to come up a with a list of 10 is difficult regardless of the criteria. I’ve found the same to be true when taking a look at the history of women middle distance runners. Same basic rules apply. No current athletes are eligible. Only athletes whose careers are over. And I must say, that perhaps even more than the sprints, drugs have had an impact on these events – making it difficult to separate "fact from fiction" so to speak. So with that lets go…