TOKYO — Marcell Jacobs of Italy is the surprise victor of the fastest track race at the Tokyo Olympics, the men's 100 meter.
Jacobs beat his personal best time and put his star solidly on the map in the blazing fast race.
He was not well-known in the track world before today, making it to the semi-finals of this event in the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
After his victory, he gleefully hugged his teammate, high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi.
The other medalists also broke their personal records. The U.S.'s Fred Kerley, a 26-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, took silver with a time of 9.84, four hundredths of a second behind Jacobs. Canada's Andre de Grasse won bronze.
Legendary retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has owned this event, winning gold in the 2008 Beijing Games, the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
U.S. sprinter Ronnie Baker, 27, came back from a hamstring injury that kept him out of competition for much of 2019. He placed fifth in the final.
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