BIRMINGHAM – Marcell Jacobs looked set to win a third consecutive continental title in the 100 meters and also achieved a good time on the Birmingham track. He himself believed that to win he had to run 9.90 seconds. From what I saw, there were all the conditions to confirm himself as the fastest in Europe. Instead, a bolt from the blue, a adductor problem a few minutes before the final. The problem that had forced him to stop after Eisenstadt, giving up the races in Monte Carlo and Monaco.
The semifinal, won with ease in 10.08 (-0.6), taking his foot off the gas in the final meters, had shown that he was still the man to beat. Despite everything, for the third consecutive edition, two Italians were among the top eight: together with Marcell Jacobs, Chituru also goes ahead Wings with 10.34 (-1.7), second in the semifinal. "It's a huge disappointment," Jacobs, who had won the 100 meters in the last two editions, commented immediately after the semifinal. "I felt really good after the semifinal, but when I tried the starting blocks in the warm-up for the final, I felt a lot of discomfort in my adductor, probably the same problem I had a month ago. When I got on the blocks, I closed my eyes. I knew there was a chance I wouldn't make it all the way, but I was ready to break anything for this race. I came here as the European leader for the year, to confirm my position. It's part of the game; these are things you can't control, and it will be another lesson; we'll have to understand why it happened. I'm not one to give up; I'll get back to work and continue.".
