The world silver medallist insisted that athletes are not robots and urged fans to lower expectations, especially after major victories.
Former Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs has urged fans to be easy on athletes and lower their expectations.
The Italian sprinter revealed that after winning the 100m Olympic title at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, many people had high expectations of him and when he failed to live up to the billing, he would be trolled.
Marcell Jacobs pointed out that it was a dream come true winning the title but the pressure that came with it was unmatched.
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He revealed that people view athletes as robots and expect them to win every race, especially after winning a huge competition like the Olympic Games and admitted he has been a victim of that.
Jacobs further noted that he also became a celebrity after being elevated to the status of an Olympic champion and could not randomly move around, noting that it has its good and bad side.
“Of course, winning the Olympic Games changes your life. When I was a child, my dream was to win the Olympic Games. So first, I lived my dream. But then, people expect a lot from you. You have to win all the races, but we are humans, not robots,” Marcell Jacobs said in a pre-race press conference of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
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“I have tried to do my best all these years since. It was the first time an Italian athlete won the 100m Olympic gold so in Italy everyone knows me, it was not easy to walk around the place and go to dinner with my wife. So yes, life has changed, but mostly for the better.”
After winning the gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m titles in Tokyo, Jacobs struggled with injuries in the following seasons and has yet to fully bounce back to winning ways.
At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Marcell Jacobs competed in the heats of the 100m only and did not start in the semifinal. However, he rounded up his season with a win at the European Championships.
In Budapest, Hungary, he did not make the final of the men’s 100m but was very vital as team Italy took silver in the relay.
Going into the Paris Olympic Games, Marcell Jacobs was hopeful about defending his title but could only manage a fifth-place finish in the tight final.
Marcell Jacobs has already started his season, competing at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix where he finished distant fourth.
