Lamont Marcell Jacobs succeeds Usain Bolt as the world's fastest man

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Lamont Marcell Jacobs succeeds Usain Bolt as the world's fastest man
Lamont Marcell Jacobs. Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images
  • Lamont Marcell Jacobs just ran the 100-meter sprint final in 9.80 seconds.
  • The Italian athlete is the first Olympic champion in the post-Usain Bolt era.
  • Watch the 26-year-old win his race right here.
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Lamont Marcell Jacobs has been crowned the sprint king of the ongoing Olympic Games in Tokyo as the Italian just ran 100 meters in 9.80 seconds on Sunday.

It took a personal best performance for Jacobs to win the gold medal at the marquee Olympic event, becoming the first champion of the tournament in the post-Usain Bolt era.

He edged Fred Kerley of the United States (9.84 seconds), and Andre de Grasse of Canada (9.89 seconds), who ran their own personal best times to earn the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Jacobs, a multi-sport athlete as he's also a decorated long jumper, set the Italian record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 9.95 seconds earlier this year.

On the grandest of stages at the 2020 Tokyo Games, he ran even faster.

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Though he wasn't the fastest out of the starting blocks, Jacobs - running in lane two - built up great speed from the 30-meter mark onwards to get ahead of the field.

Never looking back, Jacobs darted across the finish lane in first place, never looked back, and then celebrated raucously.

Watch it right here:

Lamont Marcell Jacobs succeeds Usain Bolt as the world's fastest man
Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP

Moments before Jacobs claimed a shock gold medal, his compatriot Gianmarco Tamberi became joint Olympic champion in the men's high jump alongside Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, who both had identical records of 2.37 meters before failing to clear 2.39 meters.

It was Tamberi who was first to embrace Jacobs as the Italians celebrated their achievements together, with the Tricolore flag wrapped around them.

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