Italian double Olympic champion Lamont Marcel Jacobs claimed he was not plagued by media allegations of doping. The effort is to thank for the record achievements in Tokyo.
Jacobs was the first Italian to win the 100m gold medal and was part of the 4x100m relay team, which won his country’s victory, setting a record 9.80 seconds in Europe in the final.
The 26-year-old performance led to media coverage highlighting doping cases involving athletics breakout stars, said Giovanni Marago, chairman of the Italian Olympic Committee, “unpleasant.”
“These controversies don’t affect me,” Jacobs told Il Messagero on Monday.
“I know I came here at a lot of sacrifice. I have experienced disappointment and defeat, but I always stood up and rolled up my sleeves.
“If I reach this point, it’s thanks to the effort. They can write what they want.”
Jacobs said he broke up with a former nutritionist on Saturday after hearing that Giampaolo Pazzini was being investigated for its association with performance-enhancing substances.
“This is honestly not related to me, because from the first moment I heard about this event, we stopped working with him,” Jacobs said.
“But we’re not worried. In fact, the person was involved in a situation that wasn’t his fault. At the end of the situation he wasn’t considered guilty, so we’re about it. I’m relaxing. “
