Arizona Tribune - Euro champ Jacobs hoping for Diamond League finals wildcard

Jacobs streaked to European gold on Tuesday at Munich's Olympic Stadium, the Olympic champion rebounding from an injury and illness-ravaged season that had started promisingly with him winning the world indoor 60m title.

But he withdrew before the semi-finals of last month's world championships in Oregon and his absence from the Diamond League has seen the Italian deprived of going up against the leading elite band of mainly US sprinters.

"I am the first to want to compete against the US sprinters," Jacobs told AFP.

"Now the only occasion is the Diamond League final. I don't have points to compete in that.

"I don't want the diamond, I only want to compete with them, so hopefully World Athletics and the Diamond League can try to realise that.

"I want to compete with them to motivate me and do my best."

That motivation, Jacobs said, was to prove he is the best in the world.

"This is my goal," the 27-year-old said. "At the moment I feel in good shape, I want to compete again."

Jacobs was a shocker winner of Olympic gold at last year's Summer Games in Tokyo, winning in an European record of 9.80 seconds.

The emotions between Olympic and European golds were "different", he contended.

"Last year it was the Olympic Games, the dream of my life," he said.

"But yesterday is a great emotion because after this difficult outdoor season, with many injuries and many problems, to come here and take the gold medal is fantastic for me, a really good emotion."

Jacobs said he had never lost faith in regaining fitness.

"Never, never, never because my mindset is 'work hard, work hard, work hard'," said the sprinter, who also won gold as part of Italy's 4x100m relay team in Tokyo and will bid for a second gold in Munich in the team event.

"I never lose the mindset because the mindset is the most important."

Jacobs' coach Paolo Camossi admitted his charge had not enjoyed the "perfect season", dubbing the European title "a good moment after some problems, injuries".

"We had three weeks to recover after Eugene, to get better physically. The result is a wonderful gold medal," he said.

Camossi predicted that Jacobs could peak in early September, with the Diamond League finals scheduled for Zurich on September 7-8.

"Rules don't allow him to compete in Zurich, but perhaps they can invite us. It would be nice to compete with the American guys," Camossi said.

A.Anderson--AT