Marcell Jacobs has been crowned 100m champion at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.He succeeds Usain Bolt as the Olympic champion, who won the title in 2008, 2012 and 2016.Trayvon Bromell was the favourite to win the title going into the Games but he crashed out at the semi-final stage after a a sub-par performance.
ENTER GIVEAWAYYohan Blake, who won silver in the 100m at London 2012, also failed to reach the final.The eight men to qualify for the final were: Akani Simbine (South Africa), Marcell Jacobs (Italy), Zharnel Hughes (Great Britain), Fred Kerley (United States), Su Bingtian (China), Ronnie Baker (United States), Enoch Olaoluwa Adegoke (Nigeria) and Andre De Grasse (Canada).
And it was Jacobs who emerged victorious in a time of 9:80, which was a personal best and a national record. What an incredible run by the Italian.
His time was actually faster than the time Bolt ran to win gold in Rio at the 2016 Olympics.
Jacobs was joined on the podium by Kerley and De Grasse who clocked times of 9:84 and 9:89 respectively.
Great Britain's Hughes was disqualified after a false start.
View the full placings below:
1. Jacobs - 9.80
2. Kerley - 9.84
3. De Grasse - 9.89
4. Simbine - 9.93
5. Baker - 9.95
6. Su - 9.98
7. Adegoke - DNF
8. Hughes - DQ
Jacobs was ecstatic after claiming the gold medal.
“It is amazing, it is fantastic, it is a dream, Olympic champion in the 100m... I have no words,” he said, per the Guardian.
“It is a gold medal, it is for ever, I am very happy. Watching Gianmarco [Tamberi] was a massive boost, it is fantastic. My objective was to arrive in the final, maximum concentration and run my line. It is fantastic for Italy, I think there is a big party like for the football.”
Hughes was devastated after his false start saw him disqualified.
He said: “It wasn’t pressure. I wasn’t nervous. It’s just that my calf cramped up when I went up on ‘set’ and with the cramp I moved which is heartbreaking.
"I’m really gutted right now. I worked too hard to be here to come and false start. It hurts a lot.”