April 22, 2022
Happy Friday! This is the third edition of Track Snacks – a mini series taking you into the weekend where Chris Chavez and a fellow CITIUS MAG staffer share the story of an athlete who they’re excited about right now that you can expect to see compete at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (July 15–24, 2022).
In this episode, we’re actually joined by the actual athlete. Marcell Jacobs is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m, the reigning 60m world indoor champion and the European record holder in the men’s 100 meters. Jacobs was one of the biggest surprises of the Tokyo Olympics when he ran the race of his life to become the first Olympic champion not named Usain Bolt since 2008. He proved it was no fluke by winning the World Indoor Championships in the 60m in a long-awaited clash against 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman. The fans are in for a real treat because they won’t have to wait until July to see them go head-to-head again. This week. Prefontaine Classic race organizers announced Jacobs, Coleman, Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley, Olympic bronze medalist Andre De Grasse, Noah Lyles, Marvin Bracy, Kenndy Bendarek and Ronnie Baker would be part of the deepest 100m race in history. It’s the appetizer before the main course at Worlds.
Track Snacks is sponsored by @HaywardMagic – the Instagram home for the true track & field diehards, dreamers and fans. They’re sharing the magic of the sport and elevating the athletes that push it forward. Follow them on Instagram @HaywardMagic.
Everyone knows how much all of us in the CITIUS MAG family love track & field, and how much we enjoy sharing that love with you all. Well, we’ve got a few big love-sharing ideas in the works and it all takes place in Eugene, Oregon this summer. Hayward Field will be the home to the Prefontaine Classic, the USATF Outdoor Championships and the World Athletics Championships. We’ll be there and you should be too. Visit https://citiusmag.com/summerofhayward/ for all the information on dates and tickets.
Intro music: “Believe In Yourself” by Norm Cotone
Catch the latest episode of the podcast on Apple Podcasts. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify.
A BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH MARCELL JACOBS
CITIUS MAG: It’s super exciting to see the lineup for the Pre Classic. I mean the average personal best for the whole field is 9.84. It’s absolutely stacked. It’s rare that we get to see the top sprinters go head to head outside a major championship. For you to be part of this field, how important is that to you that we’re able to see the best in the world face off before a championship?
Marcell Jacobs: I think I’m the happiest person in the world to be part of this event. I’ve always watched it on TV. It’s part of the very long road that I have been on to get to where I am right now. The Prefontaine might as well be part of the championship. It’s just at such a high level. The best in the world will be competing. Honestly, I am just so, so excited to be a part of it. It’s just a wonderful opportunity.
CITIUS MAG: People are taking sides. There’s Team Marcell. There’s Team Fred. There’s Team Christian. If you were speaking directly to the fans, why should they be on Team Marcell?
Marcell Jacobs: A year ago today, nobody would have guessed that we would be the defending champions. By ‘we’, I’m talking about the whole team because it is a whole team effort. We’re also there to try out the track. We don’t know the track. I think we’ve surprised everyone with where we are now compared to where we were a year ago.
CITIUS MAG: I’ve seen it said a bunch of times when people explain why you’re so good is because you don’t make any mistakes during the race. What does that mean?
Marcell Jacobs: What it really means is that before there were a lot of mistakes. Over the past few years, they’ve been full of mistakes…We’ve worked on my technique. We worked a lot to create a technique that was based on exactly what my capabilities are and what I needed to do. That is why I am what I am. My technique is from my capabilities.
CITIUS MAG: For the mental side of things, there were two sides that were super cool to see. Working with a mental performance coach, they gave you the confidence that the 100 is your event. You also established a relationship with your father after they told you to. That’s personal and also the performance side of things. You saw a big benefit from it. Now that you did that last year, how do you work the mental side for this year?
Marcell Jacobs: Yes, that’s true. Last year, there was a lot of concentration on maintaining a balance and reaching an equilibrium in terms of my balance between family and competition. This year, maybe it’s more difficult. Certainly, it’s different. I have to concentrate on other issues because this year I’m competing at the top. I am the top. Maybe the concentration is working on my dream and getting to maintain my dreams and my goals. With my mental coach, we’re working on a triple achievement this year. That would be the indoor championship, which we won; The outdoor championship and the European Championship which will be in August. This triple series is what we’re working on in terms of mental toughness. Sure, I have to keep my readiness at its best. I have to concentrate on sprinting. That’s what this year is going to be about.
CITIUS MAG: I thought I was going to get a Texas accent but nope. Not this time around!
Marcell Jacobs: Nope! (Laughs)
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.