On Episode 5 of Netflix’s docuseries SPRINT, titled “THE GOLD STANDARD,” viewers got a glimpse of a memorable throwback of the 2023 World Championships pre-race conference featuring the American track and field stars from Fred Kerley, Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas and others. Fred Kerley kicked things off confidently, declaring, “I’m Fred Kerley, this is my title.” Noah Lyles, cool as ever, leaned in with a quick retort: “That’s what they all say ’til they get beat.”
The banter continued as Fred boldly stated, “If Noah’s going to run 9.65, then I’m running faster.” However, when asked about 100-meter Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs making his comeback after a series of injuries in 2023, Lyles and Kerley brushed off the topic with some playful teasing. “I know what form he’s in,” Lyles quipped. In the SPRINT episode, it cut to Lyles laughing about the moment, saying, “A comeback, really? They got a lot of faith in that man.”
The scene then shifted back to Budapest, where Fred Kerley chimed in, “I don’t think we too much worried by him at this moment.” Noah added with a grin, “The question was already answered.” At the 2023 World Championships, Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs didn’t make it past the semi-finals in the men’s 100m, finishing fifth in his heat with a time of 10.05, a full 0.25 seconds slower than his gold-winning mark at Tokyo 2020. Reflecting on this setback and the playful teasing aimed at Marcell Jacobs, it’s interesting to see how he’s clapped back in 2024, turning the narrative despite his injuries and setbacks.
The reigning Olympic Champions staunchly claps back at his haters
On June 18, 2024, Marcell Jacobs clapped back at his doubters by sharing a timeline of his injuries and a list of his achievements on his X platform. Posing with all his medals draped over his shoulder, he highlighted his wins like, “🥇Olympic Champion 100 meters, 🥇Olympic Champion 4×100, 🥈World Vice-Champion 4×100, 🥇World Indoor Champion 60 meters, 🥇Two-time European Champion 100 meters, 🥇European Champion 4×100, 🥇European Indoor Champion 60 meters, and 🥈European Indoor Vice-Champion 60 meters.”
He then detailed how these victories came despite serious setbacks and injuries, like failing to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016, being eliminated in various European Championships, suffering a sciatic nerve sheath injury in 2023, and almost risking his ability to walk. His message with this update was, “All of this to tell you not to give up at the first difficulty, not to quit when everything seems to be going wrong, to persist and keep fighting, to truly believe in your dreams and face all the challenges life throws at you! 💪🏾”
Just before sharing this message, the reigning Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs sounded a warning from Turku, Finland. Jacobs clocked a blazing 9.92 on June 18 at the Paavo Nurmi Games, his fastest time since his gold-medal run at Tokyo 2020. He broke the 10-second barrier for the first time in nearly two years in the semi-finals with a 9.99, then clocked 9.92 in the final, where his training partner and Olympic 200m champ Andre De Grasse finished third with 10.00.
This performance showed he was ready to prove himself as the Olympic champion once again. But despite this impressive feat, with Fred Kerley blazing to a 9.88 season best and Noah Lyles setting a 9.83 at the Olympic trials, Jacobs still faces some serious competition in Paris. What do you think about the friendly banter between track stars Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley, and Marcell Jacobs? Share your thoughts in the comments below!