Marcell Jacobs, Olympic rematch in Rome
Marcell Jacobs in Rome
On August 30, the lights will be turned on an exciting challenge in the 100 meters at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea – Presented by IP. The Italian leg of the Wanda Diamond League at the Olympic Stadium in Rome will feature four sprinters who competed in the final of the Paris Olympics: silver medalist Kishane Thompson (Jamaica), bronze medalist Fred Kerley (United States), fifth-ranked Marcell Jacobs who è was Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo three years ago, and sixth-ranked Paris sprinter Letsile Tebogo (Botswana), Olympic 200-meter champion at the Stade de France. Also with them are other world speed superstars such as American Christian Coleman and Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala. Completing the cast will be Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, and Italy’s Chituru Ali.
The mind will go back to the evening of Sunday, August 4, when an extraordinary 100 final was run in Paris. World season leader Thompson (9.77 in June) lost by only five thousandths to U.S. Noah Lyles by running 9.79, only two hundredths better than bronze medalist Kerley (9.81), while Jacobs è sped through in 9.85 and Tebogo in 9.86. Omanyala missed the Olympic final but this year è was able to run in 9.79, Coleman in 9.86. In essence, the Rome race will feature six men with season records of 9.86 and up.
For Fred Kerley it will be a return to the Golden Gala after victories in the last two seasons: the U.S. triumphed in 2022 at Rome’s Olympic Stadium with 9.92 and in 2023 at Florence’s Ridolfi Stadium with 9.94. Instead, Marcell Jacobs will return to Rome less than three months after winning the European Championships gold medal with a time of 10.02 ahead of another Italian Chituru Ali (10.05).
Finally, as for the women’s long jump competition, which will see the participation of the entire podium of the Paris Olympics (Davis-Woodhall gold, Mihambo silver, Moore bronze) there’è to be reported the renunciation of the Italian jumper Larissa Iapichino.
