Lamont Marcell Jacobs is an Italian-American track and field sprinter and long jumper. He won the 100 meters event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 9.80 seconds, setting the new European record in athletics in the 100 meters category.
Wiki/Biography
Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Jr [1]NBC Olympics was born on Monday, September 26, 1994 (age 27 years; as of 2021), in El Paso, Texas, United States. When Jacobs was three weeks old, his father, a US army soldier, was transferred to South Korea, which led Jacobs and his mother to move to Desenzano del Garda, Province of Brescia, Lombardy, Italy.
He started his sports career playing basketball and football, and he trained in football under Adriano Bertazzi. When Andriano noticed his speed, he suggested Jacobs try sprinting. According to Jacobs, Bertazzi said,
Italian: Visto che non hai mai preso la palla ma hai corso veloce, perché non provi un altro sport come l’atletica?” Translation: Since you’ve never caught the ball but run fast, why don’t you try athletics?”
He then began training under Gianni Lombardi, the director of the World Athletics Challenge – Combined Events, in Desenzano del Garda, which soon brought out his talent in sprinting. At the age of ten, he began competing in sprinting, but only discovered the long jump in 2011. In September 2015, he began training under the 2001 world indoor triple jump champion Paolo Camossi; at first, he trained in Gorizia, and then in late 2018, he trained in Rome. Talking about Paolo in an interview, he said,
I achieved good results during the three years I spent in Gorizia, but I felt I needed more regular medical and physiotherapy support. Rome offered everything I needed, so it was the right choice for me. I am really grateful that Paolo Camossi decided to coach me. He changed his life completely to follow me.”
Physical Appearance
Height [2]Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera – Lamont Marcell Jacobs: 6′ 1″
Weight [3]Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera – Lamont Marcell Jacobs: 84 kg
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Family & Ethnicity
Parents & Siblings
His mother, Viviana Masini, is Italian. His mother owns Hotel Florence in Italy. His father, Lamont Marcell Jacobs Sr., is African-American. [4]The New York Times – Archive His father, at age 18, was serving as the United States Army soldier at Caserma Ederle (a military complex) in Vicenza, Italy, when he met his mother, aged 16. His parents got married in Italy and relocated to El Paso, Texas, where Jacobs was born three years later. When he was six months old, his parents decided to separate. He was raised by his mother alone. His mother talked about their relationship in an interview and said,
Ours is a great love. I am his mother, sister and friend, as well as his great sponsor. I accompanied him to the races every Sunday, encouraged him to give more, remaining humble. The time to get noticed has finally come.”
Although he was born an American, he identifies himself as an Italian. In an interview, he said,
Italian: Di americano ho solo le fibre muscolari, mi sento italiano al 100%”
Translation: Only my muscle fibers are American, I’m 100% an Italian.”
He also acquired Italian citizenship later in his life. Since childhood, he was estranged from his father. Upon a suggestion from his mental coach, Nicoletta Romanazzi, he reestablished a relationship with his father, which, as cited by his coach, would have helped him be motivated and given him the peace of mind he needed to focus on winning in the Olympics. Talking about his relationship with his father and their reunion in an interview, he said,
I considered him a stranger, he looked for me on Facebook and I didn’t answer. Fortunately, recently, also thanks to the work with my mental coach, a relationship has been recreated. And I’ll go and see him in the U.S.”
Wife & Children
When he was nineteen, he was in a relationship with a girl, and with her, he has a son named Jeremy (born in 2013). He then dated a woman named Nicole Daza, who is a model and social media influencer. In 2018, Marcell and Nicole got married. The couple live in Rome with their two children, a son named Anthony (born in 2019) and a daughter named Meghan (born in 2021).
Religion
He is a follower of Christianity. [5]Instagram – Marcell Jacobs
Career
Long Jump
At the 2016 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships, held in Tunis, he won the long jump event by jumping 7.95 m.
At the 2016 U23 Italian Athletics Championships, held at Brixen, in the long jump event, he won with a jump of 8.48 meters. In the long jump event of the 2016 Italian Athletics Championships, held in Rieti, Italy, Jacobs won with a jump of 7.68m. He gave the best performance ever for an Italian at the 2016 Italian U23 Championships, where he jumped 8.48 meters. However, the result was not accepted as a national record due to the 2.8 m/s tailwind, which was 0.8 m/s above the allowable maximum for any record performance. At the 2016 European Athletics Championships, held in Amsterdam, he was placed 11th with placed 11th with a jump of 7.59 m. a jump of 7.59 m. In the long jump event of the 2017 Italian Athletics Indoor Championships, he won with the jump of 8.06 meters. On the IAAF (now World Athletics) world-leading list at the end of the Senior Indoor 2017 season, he was ranked tenth with the personal best of 8.07m.
European Athletics Indoor Championships
At the 2017 European Atletics Indoor Championships held in Belgrade, he jumped 7.70 meters in the quarterfinals and lost.
In the championship’s 2019 edition, which took place in Glasgow, he went to the quarterfinals but lost.
Sprinting
At the 2018 edition of the European Athletics Championships, he lost in the semi-finals of the Men’s 100 m event timed at 10.28 seconds. In 2019, he decided to focus solely on sprinting, and he gave frequent injuries caused during long jumping as one of the reasons for quitting it (long jumping). In the 2019 IAAF World Relays, he participated in the Men’s 4 × 100 meters relay, held in Yokohama, Japan, but he did not complete the race. In July 2019, he lowered his personal best of 100m to 10.03 seconds, becoming one of the three fastest Italians in history. At the 2019 European Athletics Team Championships Super League, held in Bydgoszcz, he won a silver medal by competing in the 100 meters event timed at 10.39 seconds. At the 2019 World Athletics Championships, held in Doha, he competed in the 100 meters and 4 × 100 meters relay events in which he reached the semi-finals. In the semi-finals of the 100 meters event, he completed in 10.20 seconds. In the 4 × 100 m relay event, as a part of the Italian team, he contributed to the 38.11 seconds record of the team.
At the 2020 International Triveneto meeting (Trieste), he participated in the 100 meters event and won timed at 10.10 seconds.
In the 100 meters event in the International Savona meeting, he won timed at 9.95 seconds. At the 2021 Italian Athletics Indoor Championships (Ancona), he participated in the 60 meters event and won timed at 6.55 seconds. At the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships held in Torun, Poland, Jacobs won the 60 meters event. He completed the event at 6.59 seconds, setting a new national and worldwide season’s best record.
In Savona, Italy, on May 13, 2021, Jacobs became the 150th person in history and the second Italian to break the 10-second barrier when he set the Italian record in the 100 meters event by complteting the event in 9.95 seconds. In the 2021 World Athletics Relays, held in Chorzów, he competed as a part of the Italian team in the 4×100 m relay. The team came second timed at 39.21 seconds.
Italian Athletics Championships
In the 2018 edition of the Italian Athletics Championships held, in Pescara, Italy, he won the 100 meters event timed at 10.24 seconds. The following year, at the Italian Athletics Championships, held in Brixen, Italy, he won the 100 meters event timed at 10.10 seconds. He won the Italian Athletics Championships’ 100 meters event for the third time in its 2020 edition, held in Padua, Italy, timed at 10.10 seconds, running into the tailwind of +3.3 m/s, in the 100 meters event. In Rovereto, Italy, on June 26, 2021, he won the title in fourth time in a row when he, running into the headwind of -1.0 m/s, won the 100 meters event at 10.01 seconds.
Olympics
Due to a hamstring injury, he did not participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He participated in 100 meters and 4 × 100 meters relay events at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan; the Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the worldwide coronavirus Pandemic. In the semi-finals of the 100m event, he came in close third timed at 9.84, which became the European record (in 100 m event) and equaled 1996 Olympics champion Donovan Bailey. He qualified finals along with the Akani Simbine of South Africa. In the finals of the 100 meters event, he had a clear win timed at 9.80 seconds, marking his second improvement in the European records and tying with Steve Mullings (#11 of all times). He won the gold medal, bringing in Italy’s first gold in the 100 m event.
At the 4×100 m relay, as a part of the Italian relay team including Lorenzo Patta, Fausto Desalu, and Filippo Tortu, Jacob ran the team’s second leg contributing to its total run time of 37.50 seconds, which became the new Italian Record in 100 m event. The Italian team won, marking Italy’s first win and medal earned in 73 years in the event.
Due to his outstanding achievements, he was chosen to be Italy’s flag bearer by the Italian National Olympic Committee during the Olympics’ closing ceremony.
Athletics Meet
At the 2021 BAUHAUS-galan, an annual international meet and part of the Diamond League circuit held at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, he participated in the 100 meters event. He won second place timed at 10.05 seconds.
At the 2021 Herculis, an annual track and field meet and part of the Diamond League held in Monaco, he competed in the 100 meters event and won third place timed at 9.99 seconds. In the 100 meters events at the Diamond League tournaments held in Rome (Italy) in 2018, Rome (Italy) in 2020, Monaco in 2021, Stockholm (Sweden) in 2021, he ranked seventh (timed at 10.19), fourth (timed at 10.11), third (timed at 9.99), and second (timed at 10.05), respectively.
Progression
Outdoor (100 Metres)
- May 20, 2011 – 11.9 seconds – Chiari, Italy
- May 19, 2012 – 10.68 seconds – Campi Bisenzio, Italy
- August 19, 2013 – 11.9 seconds – Chiasso, Switzerland
- May 18, 2014 – 10.53 seconds – Gavardo, Italy
- May 25, 2016 – 10.23 seconds – Savona, Italy
- June 30, 2017 – 10.82 seconds – Trieste, Italy
- May 23, 2018 – 10.08 seconds – Savona, Italy
- July 16, 2019 – 10.03 seconds – Padova, Italy
- August 01, 2020 – 10.10 seconds – Trieste, Italy
- August 01, 2021 – 9.80 seconds – Tokyo, Japan
Outdoor (200 Metres)
- June 20, 2012 – 21.66 seconds – Nembro, Italy
- June 07, 2014 – 21.15 seconds – Campi BisenzioTorino, Italy
- May 10, 2015 – 21.08 seconds – Campi Bisenzio, Italy
- May 06, 2018 – 20.61 seconds – Campi Bisenzio, Italy
Outdoor (4×100 Metres Relay)
- September 28, 2013 – 41.32 seconds – Vicenza, Italy
- October 04, 2019 – 38.11 seconds – Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar
- August 06, 2021 – 37.50 seconds – Olympic Stadium, Japan
Indoor (60 Metres)
- February 19, 2012 – 7.10 seconds – Ancona, Italy
- January 26, 2013 – 7.00 seconds – Modena, Italy
- January 19, 2014 – 6.96 seconds – Bergamo, Italy
- January 22, 2017 – 6.69 seconds – Udine, Italy
- February 19, 2020 – 6.63 seconds – Stade Couvert Régional, Liévin, France
- March 06, 2021 – 6.47 seconds – Arena Toruń, Poland
Indoor (200 Metres)
- February 2, 2013 – 22.45 seconds – Ancona, Italy
Outdoor (Long Jump)
- July 10, 2011 – 7.17 meters – Saronno, Italy
- October 7, 2012 – 7.29 meters – Rieti, Italy
- September 29, 2013 – 7.68 meters – Vincenza, Italy
- June 4, 2016 – 7.95 meters – Tunis, Italy
Indoor (Long Jump)
- February 13, 2011 – 6.96 meters – Ancona, Italy
- March 11, 2012 – 7.27 meters – Modena, Italy
- February 23, 2013 – 7.77 meters – Ancona, Italy
- January 26, 2014 – 7.32 meters – Lucca, Italy
- February 22, 2015 – 8.03 meters – Padova, Italy
- February 04, 2017 – 8.07 meters- Ancona, Italy
- February 08, 2019 -8.05 meters – Gallup, Madrid, Spain
Medals
- Gold at the 2016 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships (Tunis) – Long jump
- Silver at the 2019 European Athletics Team Championships Super League (Bydgoszcz) – 100 meters
- Gold at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships (Toruń) – Men’s 60 meters
- Silver at the 2021 World Athletics Relays (Chorzów) – 4×100 m relay
- Gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo) – Men’s 100 meters
- Gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo) – Men’s 4 × 100 meters relay
- Silver at the 2021 BAUHAUS-galan (Stockholm) – Men’s 100 meters
- Bronze at the 2021 Herculis – Men’s 100 meters
Controversy
In 2021, after Lamont broke the 10-second barrier at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic finals in the Men’s 100 meters category, there were suspicions of him being under the influence of steroids. The British daily The Times ran a story about Jacobs’ former sports nutritionist, Giacomo Spazzini, being under police investigation in an alleged illegal distribution of anabolic steroids offence. After Spazzini was accused in the matter, Jacobs cut his ties with Spazzini, and his manager told the media outlets that Jacobs had worked with the medical professionals at his sports center, and Spazzini was not his nutritionist. While talking about the allegations, Jacobs said,
It haven’t touched me because I know all the sacrifices and setbacks I took to get to this moment, and I want to enjoy it 100 percent.”
When he was asked about his stance on the suspension of British sprinter C.J. Ujah (silver-medal winner in the 4x100m relay event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics) over an alleged anti-doping breach, he said, [6]The Hindu – Archive
It makes me smile a little. Because a week ago they said so many things about me that were not true, and they have the relay runner with a positive result in their own backyard.”
Favorites
- Track and Field Athlete: Andrew Howe
- Sport(s): Basketball, Formula 1
- Racing Driver: Lewis Hamilton
- Comic: Charlie Chaplin
Car Collection
- Mercedes-Benz
- Chevrolet
Tattoos
- ‘Famiglia. Dove nasce la vita e l’amore non ha mai fine,’ which translates to ‘Family. Where life is born and love never ends,’ on his left shoulder
- Rose on his chest
- The quote (by Charlie Chaplin) ‘What is really good is to fight with determination, embrace life and live it with passion! Lose your battles with class and dare to win because the world belongs to those who dare’ in Italian on his right pec
- The quote ‘Il vero amore non significa essere inseparabili; significa essere separati e nulla cambia’ (Trans. True love doesn’t mean being inseparable; it means being separated and nothing changes) on the right side of his stomach
- Compass on the center of his stomach
- Jeremy (name of his elder son) over the world map on his left pec
- Meghan (name of his daughter) on his inner right bicep
- Anthony (name of his younger son) on his lower abdomen
- Tiger (representing strength, passion, and beauty) on his back
- 1972 on his left shoulder
- Anchor on the backside of his upper right arm
- ‘Carpe Diem’ (Seize the day) on the left side of his stomach
- Cross with the word ‘Believe’ on his right shoulder
- Crazy Long Jumper across his collarbones
- Medusa on his right upper arm
- Colosseum on his right forearm
- ‘VI-VI’ on the backside of his right wrist
- Roman numerals ‘XIV XII MMXIV’ (14 12 2014) on his neckline
- Roman numerals ‘XXV-IX-MMIII’ (25-09-2003) on his left shoulder blade
- Roman numerals ‘XVI-V-MMII’ (16-5-2002) on his right shoulder blade
- A tattoo on his left leg
- Some words below his left pec
Facts/Trivia
- He is known by his nickname ‘Crazy Long Jumper,’ which is also inked across his collarbones. [7]Lamont Marcell Jacobs – Instagram
- He has an interest in Basketball and formula 1 races and watches their matches whenever he has time.
- Before he broke the European records in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he was tipped by the 1983 European indoor 60m champion-turned news anchor Stefano Tilli to break the 10-second barrier for 100m. Tilli tipped Jacobs on equalling Filippo Tortu if not break his Italian record of 9.99 seconds. Talking about Filippo in an interview, he said,
Filippo is a very good friend. Our rivalry is great for Italian athletics. We push each other and this helps us run faster.”
- His idol Andrew Howe was coached by his mother in Italy after his father left the family when he was a baby.
- Since childhood, Jacobs was athletic. He grew up doing skating and swimming and playing basketball and football. He was also a fan of driving bicycles and mopeds.
- His mother claimed that she always kept on pushing him towards sports as, even at night, he was energetic. So, she had to tire him out to get him to sleep.
- On October 7, 2013, he was appointed a state police officer in the Province of Brescia, Italy.
- He is a member of the sports club of GS Fiamme Oro.
- He initially took up basketball at a young age to follow his father, who also played basketball.
- Marcell’s philosophy is,
If you insist and resist, you reach and conquer.”
His Instagram profile has the quote,
Italian: Se lo puoi sognare, lo puoi fare! Translate: If you can dream it , you can do it”
- In August 2021, via his social media accounts, Jacobs announced that he would take a sabbatical till 2022 to be in a top form by 2022. In the social media post, he said,
It’s not a simple decision. I am the first to want to compete every week, but you get to a certain point in which you realise that it does not end here, in the sense that this is only a great starting point.”
- He occasionally consumes alcohol with his wife and friends. [8]Lamont Marcell Jacobs – Instagram
- He follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He is good friends with the Italian footballer Francesco Totti and is often seen hanging out with him.