Marcell Jacobs Blazes Through the Wind: Just Shorts of Usain Bolt’s World Record
Two extraordinary performances by Marcell Jacobs in the windy conditions in Eisenstadt, Austria. The Italian champion clocked an exceptional 9.67 in the 100-meter final with a wind speed exceeding the permitted limit (+4.1), just an hour and a half after already impressing in the heats with a remarkable 9.84 (+2.3) at the Silver leg of the Continental Tour.
No European had ever managed to run faster than the continental record of 9.80 set by Jacobs himself at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, not even with a wind speed exceeding the regulation +2.0. The 9.67 is the third-fastest time ever recorded worldwide under any conditions, trailing only Usain Bolt’s 9.58 and 9.63, both of which were run under regulation wind conditions. It is also the best wind-aided performance in history, one hundredth of a second faster than the 9.68 set by Tyson Gay under identical tailwind conditions (+4.1).
For the Fiamme Oro sprinter, it was a night to remember: behind him, Britain’s Romell Glave finished in 9.76, while South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk, the world record holder in the 400 meters, came in third with 9.83. “I’m very happy because I’m improving with every race,” Jacobs said after the race. “Sure, there was a lot of wind here, but only Bolt in history has run faster than this, and I’m really happy to have posted a time like this.”
It feels like the Jacobs of old is back. On a track made slippery by rain—following a thunderstorm that delayed the meet by about half an hour and dropped the temperature to around 20 degrees—the Italian sprinter looked brilliant and confident. He got off to a strong start in his heat, then settled into a steady rhythm and managed the race with apparent ease. In the other qualifying heats, Germany’s Owen Ansah stood out with a time of 9.93 (+3.1), as did Britain’s Romell Glave with 9.88 (+3.0), the European bronze medalist from Rome 2024.
In the final, the wind picked up even more. Jacobs, in lane four, stayed ahead of Glave the entire time, and once he crossed the finish line, he looked almost incredulous at the time displayed on the screen. After finishing third last Sunday at the Diamond League in Paris with a time of 9.96—which had allowed him to become the European season leader by improving on the 9.99 he ran at the Golden Gala in Rome—he has now sent a very strong signal ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham, where on August 11 he will be aiming for his third consecutive continental title.
