Marcell Lamont Jacobs surprises with Olympic 100m gold

Posted by: Watch Athletics

Tokyo Olympic Games men's 100m final: European Indoor champion Marcell Lamont Jacobs from Italy shocked everyone by winning the Olympic 100m gold medal and setting his second European record of the day with 9.80.  

Jacobs succeeded Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, who won his third Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, who also clocked 9.80. Jacobs has become the first Italian sprinter to reach the 100m Olympic final. He is the first Italian to win a sprint competition since Pietro Mennea won the gold medal in the 200m in Moscow 1980. He clocked the fastest time in the men’s 100m by an athlete not from the USA or Jamaica. 

Marcell Jacobs: “It’s a dream. It’s fantastic. Maybe tomorrow I can imagine what people are saying, but today is incredible. Being here together with Tamberi is something spectacular. I believe in him and I believed in myself. It’s crazy to succeed Usain Bolt as Olympic champion”. 

Fred Kerley claimed the silver medal with his PB of 9.84 two years after finishing third in the 400m at the World Championships in Doha. André De Grasse from Canada won his second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in the 100m improving his PB to 9.89. Akani Simbine repeated his fourth place from five years ago in Rio de Janeiro in 9.93. Ronnie Baker and Su Bingtian dipped under the 10 seconds barrier clocking 9.95 and 9.98. 

Kerley had won the first semifinal in 9.96 beating De Grasse (9.98). European 100m champion Zharnel Hughes took the win in the second semifinal with his seasonal best of 9.98 beating Enock Adegoke (10.00). 

Jacobs had previously finished third in the semifinal in 9.84 improving the previous European record held by Francis Obikwelu and Jimmy Vicaut with 9.86. Su Bingtian from China won this semifinal breaking the Asian record with 9.83 to become the first Chinese sprinter to reach an Olympic 100m final. Baker finished second setting his PB with 9.83. Simbine clocked 9.90 to take the fourth spot behind Jacobs. 

Results men 100m final Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

1JACOBS Lamont MarcellITA9.80AR
2KERLEY FredUSA9.84PB
3de GRASSE AndreCAN9.89PB
4SIMBINE AkaniRSA9.93 
5BAKER RonnieUSA9.95 
6SU BingtianCHN9.98 
 ADEGOKE EnochNGRDNF 
 HUGHES ZharnelGBRDQTR 16.8
Latest News
©2024 WATCHATHLETICS.COM. All rights reserved.