Lamont Jacobso
The 100 meters at the Olympics is the event that turns sprinters into kings: Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt.
In one of the most unusual nights the game has ever seen, fans, experts, and even runners are all in need of lineup cards.
The race that long defined Olympic royalty went to the Texas-born Italian, who didn’t clock 10 seconds until this year. He is 26 years old, whose best days before it were in the long jump. He’s a man who didn’t even know the runner on the next street.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Marcel Jacobs is The World’s Fastest Man. “I think I need four or five years to try and understand what’s going on,” Jacobs said.
The Italian, better known for his football prowess, crossed the line in 9.8 seconds on Sunday night to clinch the first 100m medal for the country. Pietro Mania won the 200 at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, and Livio Berruti won that race at the 1960 Games in Rome.
Even in a contest with no clear favorites – American Ronnie Baker was a candidate and China’s Su Bingtian clocked a stunning 9.83 in the semi-finals – Jacobs came out of nowhere.
He is topped by Fred Carey of America, a 400m sprinter who went down in the distance as he looked for a medal chance, and Andre deGrasse of Canada, who added another 100m bronze when he won Rio.
Kerle finished second in 9.84 and DeGrasse came second with 9.89.
“I really don’t know anything about him,” Kerle said of the new gold medalist. “He did a wonderful job.”
Jacobs’ path had become so clear as to who was not in the race. Reigning world champion Christian Coleman is facing a ban for a doping test error. World leader and gold-winning favorite in 2021, Trayvon Brommel did not make the semi-finals.
Bolt, who has commanded the Olympics and every other sprint stage since 2008, has retired.
He was a sure thing in all nine Olympic sprints he ran from the Beijing Games – a stretch of dominance that redefined track and field, but also left a gaping hole in the sport when he called it a career.
“It changed athletics forever,” Jacobs said. “I’m the one who won the Olympics after that. It’s unbelievable. But comparing, I don’t think it’s time now.”
Bolt’s world record is 9.58.
Jacobs’ personal best before Sunday was 9.95.
“I mean, 9.8 from the Italian guy?” DeGrasse said. “I didn’t expect it. I thought my main competition would be Americans.”
No. Italian.
Perhaps the only person on the track who really knew the new winner was the person who hugged him after crossing the finish line. It was Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tambri, who tied Qatari Mutaz Essa Bershim to sleep.
Tambri and Bershim ended their evening-long jump-fest in a dead heat – a rare result that led to the jump to decide gold and swirl. But after engaging with an official who told him that two gold medals were possible, two-time world champions – Barshim, who won silver in Rio and bronze in London – agreed to call it a tie for the first.
Bedlam has arrived. Bershim ran to the stand to celebrate. Tambri covered her face with her hands and rolled on the ground. “I was in ecstasy,” he said. He was clearly a man looking for someone to hug.
She found the man a few minutes later when Jacobs first crossed the line. Tambri leapt into the broad-chested runner’s arms and swung his arm around Jacobs’ bald head.
“My heart was bursting,” said Tambri.
The night before, they were playing video games in Jacobs’ small room in the Olympic Village.
“And we said, ‘Can you imagine we won? Jacobs said. “(We said) ‘No, no, no. It’s impossible. Don’t think so.'”
Shortly after securing two golds, the head of Italy, Mario Draghi, bluntly said – “You are honoring Italy,” he said – and announced that he would invite the athletes to his office, the Chigi Palace, when they return. House.
It was one of his many beautiful moments on Day 3 of the most unusual of the Olympic Track Meet. Another highlight came from the fall of Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas’ 26-year-old world record in the triple jump. Her new mark is 51 feet, 5 inches (15.67 m).
Other vignettes did not include medals.
Luka Kozak tripped over a barrier and looked over three lanes to see his Jamaican opponent, Yannick Thompson, suffered the same fate. Kozak helped her get back on her feet.
Later, in the men’s 800 semi-final, American Isaiah Jwete clashed with Botswana’s Nigel Amos and the two fell to the ground. They helped each other and jogged together slowly towards the finish line.
“I don’t want any bad blood, because that’s what heroes do — they show their humanity for who they are and show they’re good people,” Jewett said.
The second gold medal of the day went to China’s Gong Lizao, who bested Raven Saunders of the United States.
Saunders, who is black and gay, wears an “Incredible Hulk” mask when she competes, closing the medal ceremony by raising her arms above her head and making an “X” with her wrist.
“This is the crossroads where all the oppressed people meet,” she explained.
All memorable. And then came the man whom hardly anyone knew.
Even though the run took place in front of an almost empty stadium, you practically can’t get enough of the collective “Who?” could hear. Reverberating in all the seats. From all places, that is, except the Italian contingent.
A good hour after the win, some of those journalists and coaches were taking pictures with their country’s new high-jump and sprint heroes. The green, white and red flag of Italy was wrapped around their shoulders and they were still embracing it – COVID protocol be damned.
Quite an evening for Jacobs, who was born in El Paso – the son of an American father and an Italian mother. Parents separated when Jacobs was 6 months old and he moved to Italy and never got to know his father.
They were reunited by phone about a year ago, as the runner tried to learn about his roots.
Now the world is learning about them. “My dream was to get here and participate in the finals,” Jacobs said. “And we ran a final. And we won the final. It’s amazing. I don’t have words to describe the moment.”
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