Athletics: Jacobs changes coach less than a year before Paris 2024

Italian Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs will now train with American Rana Reider in Jacksonville (Florida, United States), his federation announced on Monday.

“Change is sometimes necessary, I will work with world class athletes. Paris-2024 will give Italy the same emotions as in Tokyo,” said Jacobs, quoted in a press release from the Italian Athletics Federation.

He announced last week the end of his collaboration with Paolo Camossi in Rome, the coach who led him to the Olympic title and the European record (9.80) in 2021 in Tokyo, then to the title of world champion in the 60 m in theaters in 2022.

The Italian, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Tuesday, is coming out of a disappointing season with several injuries. He was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100m at the World Championships in Budapest in August, where he still won silver in the 4x100m relay.

Jacobs, born in Texas to an American father who quickly disappeared from his life before growing up in Italy, joined a renowned sprint group, financed by its equipment supplier, but left in recent years by several members, after the setbacks of the head coach Rana Reider.

After investigation into accusations of sexual violence by the US Center for SafeSport, Reider accepted a one-year suspended suspension in 2023, recognizing an “imbalance” due to his status as a coach in a “consensual romantic relationship with an athlete major”.

Reider has notably led American triple jumper Christian Taylor and Canadian sprinter Andre de Grasse to Olympic gold in the past.