NZ Herald Focus Sport's Cheree Kinnear wraps all the news as Lydia Ko wins bronze and the final day of the Tokyo Games dawn. Video / NZ Herald
Lamont Marcell Jacobs, the double Olympic sprint champion, insists he is "relaxed" over his former nutritionist being investigated for performance-enhancing substances.
His agent had earlier confirmed that he cut ties with the nutritionist in March following reports of a police investigation into the distribution of anabolic steroids.
Jacobs, who raced to victory with a European record time of 9.80 seconds, said: "At the end of the situation he was not considered guilty, so we are relaxed about it."
Lamont Jacobs has been the Usain Bolt of the Tokyo Olympics. Photo / AP
However, in a statement, Spazzini's lawyer, Stefano D'Apolito, told The Times newspaper last week that the investigation was still active: "I wish to make clear that in the penal proceedings in which Spazzini is being investigated, evidential elements have emerged in the course of these investigations that exonerate my client of all responsibility. I therefore trust that my client will be absolved in the preliminary phase of proceedings."
The investigation came to light just hours after Jacobs had also been part of the winning 4x100 metres relay team, which pipped the British team by just 0.01 seconds on Friday. Earlier this week the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) attacked suggestions in the media that cast doubt on Jacobs's victory in the 100 metres, saying the reports were "embarrassing and unpleasant".
Jacobs, speaking out for the first time over the reports, said: "Well, 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. But we are not worried, in fact the person was involved in a situation which was not his fault."
Marcello Magnani, who represents Italy's new 100m individual and 4x100m relay champion, told Telegraph Sport that his athlete had severed ties with Spazzini upon hearing about the investigation. Spazzini is a body builder and fitness consultant, who has previously given interviews about his role in helping Jacobs.
In a statement issued to The Telegraph, Magnani said: "I confirm you that Marcell stopped to work with Giacomo Spazzini in March, as soon as he has known about the investigation."
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Magnani also issued a categorical denial that his athlete has ever used performance enhancing drugs. Jacobs, whose father is American, serves as a police officer in Brescia, and also won the European indoor 60m title earlier this year with an Italian record of 6.47 sec. A spokesman for the local police in Milan confirmed the investigation had not concerned Jacobs. The force has reportedly confirmed the inquiry examined alleged links between "the nutritionist Giacomo Spazzini and an unnamed individual accused of providing illegally procured growth hormones and anabolic steroids".
Jacobs, who said his and Italy's success on the track was down to hard work, was one of several high-profile athletes to wear new running spikes featuring "performance-enhancing" carbon soles en route to his gold medals. Athletes in Tokyo have also praised a fast track that has produced a host of world, continental and national records from sprint to middle distances.
"Well, what can I say? We have been working so hard for so long," Jacobs said. "We are working on this relay since many years back and the big idea of the coach was that in the future we can make a successful quartet and now we are in that moment - and we were finally able to do it.
"We were able to create a compact team, who were able to come with me on this beautiful journey, and here we are with these two gold medals," he said.
Antonio La Torre, the head coach of Italy's track-and-field team, has said that Jacobs can run even faster. "With his infinite talent I dare to say that he's a man who can run close to 9.70 — or maybe even faster," he said.
Italy have so far earned 38 medals, with their previous best being 36 from the Games in Rome in 1960 and Los Angeles in 1932. They won 28 medals at the London 2012 Olympics and the same number at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics five years ago.
