The Sunday Mail
Deputy Sports Editor
THE story of Lamont Marcell Jacobs is certain to have the whole world buzzing over the next couple of weeks, especially as his February return to the track becomes imminent.
The 27-year-old Italian made international headlines when he went to the Tokyo Olympics as a relatively unknown only to capture the imagination of the world with gold medals in the 100m and 4X100-metre races.
In arguably one of the most boss moves ever, Jacobs then cut his season short and went on a six-month break.
That break ends on February 4 and the new sprint king has been confirmed for an outdoor event at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
One person who seems to be smitten by Jacobs’ story is Zimbabwe’s own sprint ace Ngoni Makusha.
Although he made a lukewarm debut at last year’s Tokyo Games, he considers Jacobs as an inspiration and hopes to emulate his exploits at the Paris Games in 2024.
“It was actually a good year for me,” said Makusha.
“I managed to achieve a lot and this was despite facing a lot of setbacks.
“There were a lot of events that got suspended due to the pandemic, and there were days I could not train because of the lockdowns.
“However, as a high, getting the chance to compete at the Olympics was right up there,” he said.
By his own admission, his Olympic debut did not go according to plan, with the sprinter failing to reach any of his personal targets.
“If I could change anything about the year, I think I would wish the pandemic to go away and then, maybe, redo my Olympic debut,” said the young sprinter.
“It (pandemic) has affected a lot of families and ruined a lot of livelihoods, so if I had the chance, I would definitely wish it away.”
But he still views his time in Japan as a learning experience.
“The experience has definitely changed things, as I now train better and approach things differently,” he said.
“Just being there, watching how some of the world’s top athletes train, warm-up and carry themselves really motivated me to improve and keep on pushing.
“Lamont Jacobs is an inspiration of mine now. From him, I learnt to never give up and have a little self-belief in myself.
“No one gave him a chance to go all the way, but he managed to win gold in the 100m and 4×100-metre races.
“That kind of motivated me and taught me that you don’t have to be famous, or anything like that, to achieve your dreams.”
Interestingly, Jacobs was a long jump specialist for the better part of his track and field career.
He only made the switch in 2018, after which he took to sprints like a fish to water.
Jacobs only ran under 10 seconds for the first time in May last year and was not expected to challenge for a medal in the summer. However, he defied the odds to improve his personal best to 9.80 seconds in the Olympic final in Japan.
The feat earned him the gold medal.
He was also part of the team that pipped Great Britain on the line in the 4x100m relay.
While Jacobs has been on a much-needed break, Makusha has been busy.
The 27-year-old began training in October, only breaking for the Christmas holidays, and has set his sights on Paris 2024.
Before then, Makusha has a couple of items to tick off on his bucket list.
“I started training in October and so far it has been going on well,” said the Chitungwiza-bred sprinter.
“I don’t have any injuries and I am improving my technique, strength and endurance every single day.
“2022 is going to be a big year for me.
“I definitely have to break the national record for the 200 metres and then run a new PB (personal best) in the 100m.
“It (the latter) was one of the goals at the Olympics, but I failed to do that,” he said.
