By Mitch Phillips
EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters) – Italian Olympic 100m champion Lamont Jacobs said on Saturday he had withdrawn from the semi-finals of the event at the World Championships after continuing to struggle with a thigh injury.
Jacobs, a massive underdog winner in Tokyo, has battled the injury for several weeks and looked uncomfortable in running 10.04 in his heat on Friday.
He was due to line up in the third of three semis on Saturday – with the final later in the evening – but tweeted: “A painful choice, I am forced to stop. I am a fighter and this is why I decided to be in Eugene.
“Now, in order not to compromise the rest of the season by risking a more serious injury, I have to postpone the challenge. I promise, I will do my best to make you dream.”
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, Additional reporting by Gene Cherry; editing by Peter Rutherford)
