Quick Facts
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Biography
Lamont Marcell Jacobs (born 26 September 1994) is an Italian male sprinter and long jumper. He won the 60 m title during the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships. On 1 August 2021, Jacobs set a new 100 m European record with a time of 9.80 at the 2020 Olympics, winning the gold medal in the process.
Jacobs closed the 2020–21 indoor season as World Leader of 60 metres.
Biography
Son of an Italian mother and an American father, he was born in El Paso, where he spent less than the first month of his childhood. When his father was transfered to South Korea, he moved to Desenzano del Garda with his mother. He began practising athletics there at the age of ten, initially preferring sprinting, then discovering the long jump in 2011. He later moved to Rome, where he lives with his partner Nicole and his two children, Anthony (born 2019) and Megan (born 2021). Jacobs has a son, Jeremy (born 2013), from a previous relationship when he was 19.
In 2016, Jacobs won the Italian Athletics Championships in long jump. With a personal best of 8.07 m, he ranked at tenth place on the IAAF world leading list at the end of the 2017 indoor season. At the 2016 Italian U23 Championships he jumped 8.48 m, the best performance for an Italian, although this result cannot be recognized as a national record due to the wind in favour of 2.8 m/s (the regulation limit is 2.0 m/s).
On 13 May 2021, in Savona, Italy, he set the Italian record in the 100 metres with a time of 9.95 s, becoming the 150th person in history to break the 10-second barrier. On 26 June 2021, notwithstanding a headwind of −1.0 m/s, he beat the Italian championships' record with a time of 10.01 s, in Rovereto, winning his fourth national title in a row.
When questioned about his origins, he said he feels 100% Italian, admitting he is not very good at speaking English.
Statistics
National records
- 60 metres: 6.47, Toruń, 6 March 2021. Current holder.
- 100 metres: 9.80, Tokyo, 1 August 2021. Current holder.
- 4×100 m relay: 38.11, Doha, 4 October 2019, he ran second leg in the team with Federico Cattaneo, Davide Manenti, Filippo Tortu; current holder
Personal bests
| Event | Mark | Wind (m/s) | Venue | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m | 6.47 s | N/A | Toruń | 6 March 2021 | Indoor, WL, NR |
| 100 m | 9.80 s | +0.9 | Tokyo | 1 Aug 2021 | AR, NR |
| 200 m | 20.61 s | +0.2 | Campi Bisenzio | 6 May 2018 | |
| Long jump | 8.07 m | N/A | Tunis | 4 February 2017 | Indoor |
| 8.48 m | +2.8 | Bressanone | 10 June 2016 | Wind-assisted |
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Performance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Mediterranean U23 Championships | Tunis | 1st | Long jump | 7.95 m | PB |
| European Championships | Amsterdam | 11th | Long jump | 7.59 m | ||
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade | Qual. | Long jump | 7.70 m | |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin | SF | 100 m | 10.28 | |
| 2019 | IAAF World Relays | Yokohama | DNF | 4×100 m relay | no time | |
| European Team Championships (SL) | Bydgoszcz | 2nd | 100 m | 10.39 | ||
| European Indoor Championships | Glasgow | Qual. | Long jump | N.M. | ||
| World Championships | Doha | SF | 100 m | 10.20 | ||
| SF | 4×100 m relay | 38.11 | NR | |||
| 2021 | European Indoor Championships | Toruń | 1st | 60 m | 6.47 | WL, NR |
| World Relays | Chorzów | 2nd | 4×100 m relay | 39.21 | ||
| Olympic Games | Tokyo | 1st | 100 m | 9.80 | AR |
Other meetings
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Performance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | International Triveneto meeting | Trieste | 1st | 100 m | 10.10 | |
| 2021 | International Savona meeting | Savona | 1st | 100 m | 9.95 | NR |
| BAUHAUS-galan | Stockholm | 2nd | 100 m | 10.05 | ||
| Herculis | Montecarlo | 3rd | 100 m | 9.99 |
National titles
Jacobs won seven national championships at individual senior level.
- Italian Athletics Championships
- 100 m: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (4)
- Long jump: 2016 (1)
- Italian Athletics Indoor Championships
- 60 m: 2021 (1)
- Long jump: 2017 (1)