Italy’s Jacobs beats USA’s Kerley for Olympic gold in men’s 100 dash

Aug. 1 (UPI) — Italy’s Marcell Jacobs claimed the unofficial title of fastest man in the world with a gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the 2020 Summer Games on Sunday in Tokyo. His time of 9.80 seconds set a European record.

Jacobs crossed the finish line four hundredths of a second before American Fred Kerley, who claimed silver. Canada’s Andre de Grasse won bronze with a time of 9.89 seconds.

American Ronnie Baker placed fifth. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes was disqualified from the event due to a false start.

Team USA’s Trayvon Bromell was a favorite to win, but finished third in his semifinal heat and did not qualify for the final. Bromell entered the event with the world’s fastest time — 9.77 seconds — over the last year.

Jamaica legend Usain Bolt, who is retired, won the event in 2016, 2012 and 2008, Jacobs, 26, is the first Italian man to win gold in the 100-meter dash at the Games.

Jamaica swept the podium in the women’s 100-meter dash Saturday in Tokyo. Elaine Thompson-Herah won that event with an Olympic record time of 10.61 seconds. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson won silver and bronze, respectively.

Earlier Sunday in track and field, Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas won the women’s triple jump with a world record distance of 51 feet, five inches or 15.67 meters. Portugal’s Patricia Mamona claimed silver in the triple jump. Spain’s Ana Peleteiro won a bronze medal in that event.

Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi shared the gold medal in the men’s high jump with a height of 2.39 meters. Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus won a bronze medal in that event.

Raven Saunders won the first track and field medal of the day for Team USA with a silver in the women’s shot put. China’s Lijiao Gong won gold with a distance of 20.58 meters. New Zealand’s Valerie won a bronze medal in the women’s shot put.

The men’s long jump final will be the first medal event for athletics Monday in Tokyo. Medals also will be handed out Monday in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, women’s discus throw, men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase and the women’s 5,000-meter final.

Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica (R) celebrates after winning the women’s 100-meter race during the Tokyo Summer Olympics on July 31, where she won gold and set an Olympic record. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Thompson-Herah sets a new Olympic record in the 100-meter women’s final, previously set in 1988, with a time of 10.60 seconds. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Jamaica’s medalists for the women’s 100-meter race, from left to right, silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, gold medalist Thompson-Herah and bronze medalist Shericka Jackson celebrate finishing one-two-three. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Competitors finish the women’s 100-meter finals. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Team Poland celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 4×400-meter mixed relay finals. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Team Poland celebrates after winning the gold. Dominican Republic took the silver and the United States the bronze. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Poland’s Kajetan Duszynski crosses the finish line to give Poland the gold medal. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Duszynski celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the inaugural 4×400-meter mixed relay gold. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Athletes compete in the 4×400-meter mixed relay. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

The United States’ Kaylin Whitney competes in the 4×400-meter mixed relay. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Whitney (L) chases Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek in the 4×400-meter mixed relay. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Teams pass the baton. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Sweden’s Daniel Stahl celebrates after winning gold at the men’s discus event. Sweden’s Matthew Denny won the silver and Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinger the bronze. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Stahl hugs a teammate after they took the gold and silver in the men’s discus event. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Nigeria’s Enoch Adegoke (R) 9.98, a personal best, edges the United States’ Trayvon Bromell to win the men’s round one heat two 100-meter race. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Costa Rica’s Andrea Carolina Vargas (C) crosses the finish line to win her heat in a women’s 100-meter hurdles round one race. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Kendra Harrison of the USA (2nd-L) wins the women’s 100m hurdles round one heat. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Athletes recover on the track after finishing a women’s 3,000-meter round one heat. The temperature at race time was 86 degrees Farenheit, 30 degrees Celsius, with 75% humidity. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Great Britain’s Daryll Neita reacts after time of 11.00 earns her a trip to the women’s 100-meter finals. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega celebrates his gold medal win in the men’s 10,000-meter finals during the Tokyo Summer Olympics on July 30. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Barega with his gold medal. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Barega crosses the finish line to win the gold with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei (L) taking silver and Jacob Kiplimo taking the bronze. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Barega (L) and Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto race in the men’s 10,000-meter final. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Runners compete in the men’s 10,000-meter finals. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Uganda’s Stephen Kissa takes an early lead in the men’s 10,000-meter final. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

The United States’ Grant Fisher jumps into the air at the starting line before the men’s 10,000-meter final. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Greece’s Paraskevi Papachristou competes during the triple jump qualifier. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

The United States’ Tori Franklin competes during the triple jump qualifier. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

The United States’ Keturah Orji lands during the triple jump qualifier. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

United States’ Taylor Manson (L) and Dominican Republic’s Anabel Medina Ventura compete in the 4x400m mixed relay. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

United States’ Karissa Schweizer hugs teammate Elise Cranny after they both qualified for the finals of the women’s 3,000-meter race. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Great Britain’s Zoey Clark (C) competes in the 4×400-meter mixed relay qualifier. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Runners compete in a women’s 800-meter round one heat. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Runners cross the finish line after the women’s 800-meter round one heat. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

World number one Karsten Warholm of Norway clears a hurdle in an empty stadium in the men’s 400-meter hurdles round one heat. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Canada’s Michael Mason clears the bar in the men’s high-jump qualifications. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Italy’s Gianmarco Tamveri celebrates after qualifying in the men’s high jump. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Germany’s Mateusz Przybylko reacts after failing to qualify for the men’s high jump. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou (C) competes in the women’s 100-meter preliminary round heat. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (L) reacts after finishing second behind Ta Lou. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Ta Lou celebrates after finishing first. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo

Switzerland’s Ajla del Ponte (L) and world number one-ranked Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica cross the finish line in a women’s 100-meter preliminary round. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo