![]() ![]() It was the first time since 2004 that gold in the marque event was won by someone other than Bolt, the Jamaican great who swept three consecutive 100m titles in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, as well as three straight 200m crowns.įew would have predicted that the man to succeed Bolt on the top podium would be Jacobs, who became the first European to win the 100m at the Olympics since Britain’s Linford Christie in Barcelona in 1992.Įven his race rivals didn’t see Jacobs as much of a threat. “Maybe tomorrow I can imagine what people are saying, but today it is incredible.” “It’s a dream, it’s fantastic,” Jacobs said. But he chose the right time and place to announce himself on the world’s biggest stage. He is the European indoor 60m champion and broke the Italian 100m record in May with a time of 9.95. The bald-headed, barrel-chested Italian did not come completely out of nowhere. In a race with no obvious favourites, Jacobs was still a major surprise. The pre-Olympic favorite, US champion and world-leader Trayvon Bromell, failed to qualify for the final. Three other runners also ran sub-10 seconds in the final: South Africa’s Akani Simbine finished fourth in 9.93, the USA's Ronnie Baker was fifth in 9.95 and China’s Su Bingtian was sixth in 9.98. The Italian pulled in front after 60 meters and glanced to his right as he crossed the line in front of the USA's Fred Kerley, who took silver in a personal best 9.84, and Canada’s Andre De Grasse, who earned his second consecutive bronze in a PB of 9.89. Overlooked as a serious medal contender, the 26-year-old Jacobs clocked a European record of 9.80 to win Italy’s first ever Olympic 100m gold and claim the unofficial title of the world’s fastest man. Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs, a former long jumper appearing in his first Olympics, stunned the field on Sunday (1) to claim the first men’s 100m gold medal of the post-Usain Bolt era.
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