OT: 100 meters men...spoiler alert

[Blakeon18]

Italy's Jacobs claims surprising gold in 100m

Lamont Marcell Jacobs won the men's Olympic 100-meter race Sunday night, crossing the line in 9.8 seconds to bring the sprint gold to Italy for the first time.

www.espn.com

Upset!

 

[EricLA]

Jacobs from Italy, Kerley from USA, and DeGrasse from Canada - gold, silver, bronze. How long has it been since Jamaica did not have a single runner medal, never mind even make the finals??

The Jamaican women swept the 100M finals for their country, but not a single runner made the finals for the men? (I'm reading the results which are somewhat difficult to decipher so I am not 100% sure)...

 

[Plebe]

Jacobs from Italy, Kerley from USA, and DeGrasse from Canada - gold, silver, bronze. How long has it been since Jamaica did not have a single runner medal, never mind even make the finals??

The Jamaican women swept the 100M finals for their country, but not a single runner made the finals for the men? (I'm reading the results which are somewhat difficult to decipher so I am not 100% sure)...

Definitely a low point for the Jamaican men in the event. Tyquendo Tracey won the Jamaican trials but withdrew from Tokyo at the last minute with an injury. Yohan Blake was #2 but narrowly missed the final. The last time no Jamaican man reached the 100m Olympic final was 2004.

Before the Usain Bolt (and Yohan Blake) era, the Jamaican men had experienced little success in the 100m at the Olympics. You have to go all the way back to 1976 to find another Jamaican medalist in the event.

Asafa Powell was the top Jamaican sprinter prior to Bolt. He won bronze at the IAAF World Championships in 2007 and 2009, but finished a disappointing 5th in Beijing 2008.

 

[triaddukefan]

Looks like Kerley made a good choice switching to the 100 from the 400. Not often that you find one that excels at both. He won the bronze in the 400 in the 2019 World Championships.

 

[oldude]

At first when I saw the headline that an Italian had won the 100 meter gold, I was a bit perplexed. Italy hasn’t had a great sprinter in like forever. I later learned that Jacobs was born in El Paso, albeit to an American father and an Italian mother.

Unlike many Olympians who are changing countries for whatever reason (Rory Sabbatini winning golf silver medal for Slovakia?), Jacobs did grow up in Italy and currently lives in Rome.

 

[Plebe]

At first when I saw the headline that an Italian had won the 100 meter gold, I was a bit perplexed. Italy hasn’t had a great sprinter in like forever.

I feel like I'm forgetting someone else more recent, but the name that jumps to mind is Pietro Mennea, who in 1979 set a world record in the 200m (breaking Tommie Smith's 1968 mark) which would stand for 17 years until the great Michael Johnson broke it in 1996.

Mennea also won gold at the 1980 Moscow Games, where he ran down the great British sprinter Alan Wells on the backstretch.

 

[oldude]

I feel like I'm forgetting someone else more recent, but the name that jumps to mind is Pietro Mennea, who in 1979 set a world record in the 200m (breaking Tommie Smith's 1968 mark) which would stand for 17 years until the great Michael Johnson broke it in 1996.

Mennea also won gold at the 1980 Moscow Games, where he ran down the great British sprinter Alan Wells on the backstretch.

I stand corrected. Your memory is impressive. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast yesterday…..