Tokyo Olympics: Lamont Marcell Jacobs claims shock 100m gold

Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Trinidad and Tobago has claimed a shock 100m gold at the Tokyo Olympics. The 29-year old, who had been running for just two years, clocked in a time of 9.84 seconds to beat out Usain Bolt’s 9.86 seconds from Beijing.

The when will the olympics be is a question that has been asked for years. Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Trinidad and Tobago won the 100m gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday night, shocking everyone with his performance.

After Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes was disqualified for a false start, Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs won a surprise gold in the Olympic 100m final.

Jacobs, who just gave up long jump in 2018, raced to victory in 9.80 seconds, 0.04 seconds faster than American Fred Kerley.

In third place, Andre de Grasse of Canada earned his second consecutive Olympic medal.

Christian Coleman, the world champion, and Trayvon Bromell, the world’s fastest in 2021, were both unable to compete in the final.

Coleman, who was barred from competing after failing three drug tests, and Bromell, who was eliminated in the semi-finals, were joined on the sidelines by Usain Bolt, the long-retired reigning champion.

Few would have predicted Jacobs, who was born in Texas to an American father but relocated to his mother’s Italian country before turning one, would succeed the Jamaican legend.

In May, Jacobs became the first person to break the 10-second barrier.

However, the European indoor 60m champion rode the wave of his quick start all the way to the finish line to beat Bolt’s winning time in Rio.

Gianmarco Tamberi, a compatriot who had just won a joint high-jump gold, welcomed him with a hug and an Italian flag draped around him.

“I don’t know,” Jacobs replied. “It’s a dream, a dream, it’s wonderful.”

“Perhaps tomorrow I’ll be able to guess what they’re saying, but today is amazing.”

Kerley, who finished second, acknowledged that Jacobs was a new name to him.

“I had no idea who he was or what he was like. At the Monaco Diamond League [when Jacobs finished third in 9.99 seconds], it was my first time racing him “he said “He performed an outstanding job.”

Hughes will be left to ponder what could have been if the finale had been devoid of the usual big names and stars.

His obvious incorrect start brought back memories of reigning champion Linford Christie’s disqualification in Atlanta in 1996, denying him a chance to enter sports’ most illustrious hall of fame.

Hughes, who made the identical error in the British Championships last month, blamed it on a severe calf tightness.

Rojas is going against the grain.

An undercard of outstanding field events nearly overshadowed the 100m final.

Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela added Olympic gold to her world triple-jump championships, securing the world record she had been threatening all season.

When it came to her last try, the 25-year-old already had the win locked up, with no one coming close to her opening-round jump of 15.41m.

Despite a subpar stride phase, she flew to 15.67m, breaking Inessa Kravets of Ukraine’s previous world record of 15.50m established two months before her birth.

“Wow. It’s a great evening “Rojas said.

“I knew we’d be able to achieve it today because I knew we had that distance in my legs. I was struggling a little with the technical aspects, but the last jump was one where I had to give it all, and it worked out.”

Patricia Mamona of Portugal won silver with a personal best of 15.01m, while reigning champion Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia finished 10th.

In the men’s high jump, there was a different sort of drama.

Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Tamberi of Italy chose to split the gold rather than compete in a jump-off.

Both failed three times in their effort to break the Olympic mark of 2.39m, and had their records been error-free on countback, they might have competed for the championship.

Tamberi, who had competed with a plaster cast at the end of his run-up as a memento of an Achilles injury that kept him out of Rio 2016 and almost ruined his career, was delighted when the friendsexternal-link agreed to terminate the battle and share the championship.

Disappointment for the United Kingdom in the semi-finals

By five thousandths of a second, Daniel Rowden lost out on a place in the 800m final.

Tiffany Porter and Cindy Sember, sisters, were unable to compete in Great Britain’s 100m hurdles final on Tuesday.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico put down the gauntlet to the rest of the competition by qualifying in a new Olympic record of 12.26 seconds, only 0.06 seconds behind American competitor Kendra Harrison, who also advanced.

Daniel Rowden and Elliot Giles failed to qualify for the 800m final on Wednesday, with Rowden losing out on a fastest loser place by five thousandths of a second after being hemmed in at the last bend.

Rowden expressed his disappointment, saying, “I’m extremely upset.” “I tried for a space going into the home straight, but it closed as soon as I went through it, I lost my stride, and that was the end of it.”

“If there’s no room in 800m running, you’ve probably placed yourself in the incorrect position, and it’s frustrating because I knew my potential was to win a medal, and it’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to make that a reality.”

Nijel Amos, the world’s fastest man this year and a silver medalist at London 2012, looked to be eliminated after collapsing in his semi-final.

The meeting referee, however, determined that he had been hampered by American Isaiah Jewett, who had also fallen, and advanced the Botswanan to the final, bringing the total number of competitors to nine.

During the morning session, Jazmin Sawyers and Abigail Irozuru both qualified for the long jump final.