The entire Stade de France cheered Noah Lyles’ name once the American sprinter arrived at the venue. Indeed, the whole 2024 campaign was all about the anticipation surrounding him for the Olympic Games, and he did deliver by winning his career-first gold medal in the men’s 100m finals at the French capital. He faced competition, with only 0.005 seconds separating him from second-place finisher Kishane Thompson.

However, only the Jamaican gave Lyles a serious challenge in the 100m, with the rest of the grid trailing well behind the two. This included the former 100m gold medalist Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who presented no challenge to the American runner. Upon the announcement of the Italian’s return to track in the indoor season, the community met him with criticism rather than with flowers.

Comparing Noah Lyles and Lamont Marcell Jacobs head-to-head

Which event will mark the start of the indoor season for many renowned athletes? It’s the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. The annual track meet has always garnered a lot of attention, as it provides prolific track performances, owing to the participation of big names in the sport. The confirmation a few days ago that Noah Lyles will be joining the grid alongside other major athletes on February 2, 2025, greatly heightened the excitement among fans.

Everyone in the community is aware of the amount of sprinting prowess that Lyles has, as they have seen what he did in the 2024 season. However, how did he fare in the indoor season last year? In 2023, he made his debut at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, where he achieved a time of 6.54 seconds in the 60m heats. But the moment he went to finals, he won the 60m race, running a blistering 6.44 seconds. Indeed, being 0.1 seconds faster in the difference of two rounds was a huge deal, and many became excited about his campaign later on, in which he ended up getting two silver medals at the Glasgow World Indoor Championships.

But when it comes to Lamont Marcell Jacobs, the Italian runner was quite underwhelming in the same campaign. Indeed, due to his complete focus on outdoor events for the Olympic Games, Jacobs did not run indoors in the 2024 season. And even if he won the European Championships in the 100m, he clocked a time of 10.02 seconds, which was alarming for an athlete like him. But why? When major runners fail to achieve a sub-10 before a significant event in the 100m distance, fans become concerned about their season-long form. This was precisely the case for the Italian runner in 2024.

And, what about the results when the two runners faced each other in an event? Let us go back to June 9, 2023, when Lyles and Jacobs shared the 100m grid at the Paris Diamond League. While the American ran a splendid 9.97 seconds, coming first in the race, the Italian runner was way behind in seventh place with a 10.21. However, they met again at the Budapest World Championships, and in the semifinals, Lyles (9.87) again beat Jacobs (10.05). In the same distance, they battled against each other at the Stade de France, and in the 100m finals, when Lyles won gold with a 9.79, Jacobs came fifth with a 9.85. While the Italian runner did achieve a sub-10, it was too late in the season.

Following such a disappointing season, the Jacobs has kind of faded away from the eyes of the community. Indeed, he was one of the most discussed runners after his gold medal win in Tokyo in 2021. However, due to his frequent injury-related absences from races, he rapidly lost his reputation, which coincided with the rise of Lyles in the community. As we approach the 2025 campaign, social media users seem to have very low expectations for the Italian runner, particularly after the announcement that he would be competing on the same grid as Lyles at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

The track and field community doesn’t want him anymore

Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who once held the Olympic title as a 100m champion, appears to have lost his competitive edge. Not only is nodody interested in watching him, but some also don’t even want him to race against Noah Lyles, as one fan stated, “I dont know why is Noah racing the washed up dude, like come on they can do so much better. Get Kishane, heard the guy is back.” Mentioning past glory and an issue, one fan wrote, “In my own opinion, I don’t know why Marcell Jacobs is rated so highly honestly. Yes, he won the Olympics in 2020 But in all honesty, if most of the top athletes were at their best that year, he won’t be in this discussion.”

Scrutiny became a part of Jacobs’s life the moment he withdrew from the 2022 World Championships in Eugene. Indeed, there was a lot of hype around him because he was the 100m Olympic champion, but the injuries didn’t let him compete. Furthermore, the Italian experienced escalating complications in the subsequent track meets over the course of several seasons. He trailed significantly behind the elite sprinters and their season-long timings.

All the anticipation around him has completely faded, as one fan pointed out, stating, “Marcell is gone for ever.” A stern comment read, “Washed a** Italian man his 15 minutes are long up.” However, this fan had no problem with the Italian competing in the event, as they already know who will be the winner, stating, “Marcel is WASHED; easy dub for Noah.”

In the Galà dei Castelli, the Italian concluded his 2024 campaign with a time of 10.12 seconds. Throughout the entire season, he only managed a few sub-10s in the 100m distance, which raises questions about his 60m performance, especially considering he hasn’t competed in this distance for over a year. However, only time will tell if he has come back to his previous form, or will Lyles be at the top again.