Barely a week after setting an incredible record of becoming the first ever Italian to win Gold in the Men's 100M Olympic Final, Lamont Marcell Jacobs has had doping allegations surrounding him and his coach. Coming out to defend his position, the double Olympic champion has insisted he is not bothered by suspicions of doping raised by the media, and that hard work is to thank for his record-breaking exploits in Tokyo.
The 26-year-old’s performances led to media reports highlighting doping cases involving breakout stars in athletics stories. Giovanni Malago, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, described all this as "unpleasant". Jacobs said that he had split from his former nutritionist once he heard that Giacomo Spazzini was allegedly being investigated for a connection with performance-enhancing substances. "This is something that honestly, I am not involved with, because from the very first moment we heard about this thing that happened, we stopped working with him," Jacobs said.
"I know that I got here by making many sacrifices. I have been through disappointments and defeats, but I always got back up and rolled my sleeves up. If I have reached this point, it is only thanks to hard work. They can write what they want." Added the Italian. Spazzini and an unnamed associate obtained a prescription pad and a hospital doctor's stamp, which was used to illegally obtain doping products such as growth hormones and anabolic steroids for himself and other clients of gyms.
Officers are also investigating allegations that Spazzini committed fraud under Article 640 of the Italian penal code because he did not have the necessary qualifications to identify himself as a nutritionist. Spazzini's lawyer, Stefano D'Apolito, said that his client is "not a nutritionist" and Jacobs had only worked with medical professionals at the sports center that Spazzini owns.