Usain Bolt has forever etched himself into Olympic folklore, creating an unenviable task for anybody wishing to fill his track spikes.
Not only an eight-time Olympic gold medallist, the Jamaican holds the world record in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4×100 metres relay.
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A legacy so strong that inevitably poses the question of who in their right mind would want to follow that?
Luckily for sprint fans, Marcell Jacobs is only too happy to spearhead the next generation of track stars following's Bolt's retirement and the Italian has his sights set on more Olympic success in Paris this summer.
Born in Texas to an Italian mother and an American father, Jacobs relocated to Italy when his father, a United States serving soldier, was stationed in South Korea.
It was there he began taking an interest in athletics after dabbling in football and basketball before realising his talent at long jump, where he saw success at both national and international level.
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He later turned his attention to sprinting, citing long jump as a trigger for injuries and it was there when he finally found his calling.
Further success ensued at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when he replaced Bolt as 100m champion and became the first Italian to win the men’s 100 metres. His time of 9.80 seconds was just shy of Bolt’s record 9.58 seconds that he set in 2009.
Days later, Jacobs struck gold again, this time in the 4x100 relay, proving his success was no fluke.
Since then, the 29-year-old has encountered a rise to superstardom and the opportunity to experience life in the spotlight.
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“My life completely changed,” Jacobs explained on Netflix documentary ‘Sprint: The World's Fastest Humans.'
From paparazzi following his every move to red carpet events, Jacobs had propelled himself into an overnight superstar which also saw him have text exchanges with Cristiano Ronaldo, in one of his most surreal moments.
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But Jacobs knows the off-track festivities are a product of his performances on the big stage and with the Paris Olympics approaching, there is a target on his back.
He is the defending champion, but also the underdog in the main event.
That is partly down to injury having wrestled with a series of injuries since his gold medal and not racing a lot. He dropped longtime coach Paolo Camossi and relocated to Florida to team up with Rana Reider.
"We’ve kind of had to unpeel the onion and find a way [to figure out why he was carrying injuries]," Reider told AP. "We’ve found some stuff that we’ve been able to fix and we’re working our way into being 100 per cent healthy.”
The other reason for him being an underdog is because of Noah Lyles. The American is biggest threat to Jacobs claiming another 100m gold and has been labelled as Bolt’s second coming.
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Lyles has set his sights on winning the 100m and 200m in Paris, a feat he achieved in last year’s World Championships.
Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson is another name gunning for Jacobs’ title in the French capital.
The 22-year-old ran 9.82 seconds for 100m in the Jamaica Olympic trial last month, showing his intent ahead of the games.
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Despite fierce competition in front of him, Jacobs remains the man to beat and having tasted the grandeur of Olympic gold at the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ few would bet against the Italian once again standing front and centre on the podium in Paris.
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