«There was out-of-control envy against me. They put out my spark.” With these words
Marcell Jacobs, interviewed by the newspaper The Presstalks about his current period of uncertainty after the case linked to the spying on his private life. «The gravity of the situation was not perceived. It destabilized and overwhelmed me: paying someone to look into my affairs is inconceivable”, he underlines, explaining how it was a “violation of privacy” aggravated by the fact that it would have been “a person with whom I shared the national team in 2014”.
Towards a decision on the future
After the World Cup, Jacobs had hinted at the possibility of stopping. «I’m still in the reflection phase: too many things have made me lose my spark. I don’t rush. My wife Nicole is rooting for him to come back, but she doesn’t pressure me: she knows I can win again.” The champion reiterated that “money is not a motivation” and that, without enthusiasm, “it is useless to get back into the game”. If he starts again, the goal will be to “head straight for Los Angeles 2028”, not just the next European Championships.
Complicated relationship with Fidal
In the meantime, Fidal has included him among the top athletes and not among the top. A choice that Jacobs comments on
with disappointment: «I didn’t feel like I should be thrown away after the Paris final. Instead they presented me with new parameters. I respect them, but for others, on equal terms, another decision was made: I feel cheated.” On Gianmarco Tamberi, who remained in the top group, he observes: «I know him, he knows how to maintain relationships with people, a characteristic that President Mei likes. I have another character: I can’t pretend to be a friend.”