The Italian Athletics Federation has announced that Olympic champion Marcel Lamont Jacobs has withdrawn from the 100m semi-finals scheduled for Saturday at the 18th World Championships in Eugene, USA, due to a hip injury.

And the Italian Federation quoted in a statement from the team doctor a few hours before the start of the semi-final qualifiers that “runner Marcel Jacobs felt an adductor contraction in his right thigh during the 100m qualifiers yesterday (Friday).”

Jacobs had a disappointing first round performance on Friday when he finished second in his series with a time of 10.04 seconds.

Jacobs surprised everyone in Tokyo last summer when he won gold in the 100m and four times 100m relay before becoming world champion in the 60m indoor in Belgrade last March.

Intestinal problems in Kenya in early May and a hip injury in the middle of that month severely disrupted Jacobs’ training this season, as he only competed in three 100m races, two of them on May 18 during a meeting in Savona, Italy, when he scored 9.99 seconds in qualifying and 10.04 seconds in the final, then at the Italian Championships in June in Rieti when he finished the course with a time of 10.12 seconds.