European Athletics, anxiety returns over Marcell Jacobs’ condition

The Olympic and European champion in the 100 stopped before the relay semifinal

Bittersweet morning on Friday for the Italian track and field team, particularly for the men’s 4×100. The good news is that the blue quartet earned a place in the European final (repechaged thanks to a 39″02 in the semifinals); the bad news is that the relay team did not include Marcell Jacobs, who stopped in the warm-up due to a flare-up of a calf problem.

Jacobs, according to reports in ‘Il Corriere della Sera,’ reportedly felt pain in the very final phase of the warm-up, forcing speed coach Di Mulo and coach La Torre to provide a lightning replacement, with Polanco running the second split.

“Marcell tried until the last but in the end he forfeited,” Lorenzo Patta, the first fractionist in the semifinals, commented after the semifinal. We hope he will recover for the final. Whoever will run, the team will be ready.”