Marcell Jacobs

Surprise 2021 Olympic 100m champion.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs Jr. was born on 26 September 1994 in El Paso, Texas, to an Italian mother, Viviana Masini, and an American father who served in the U.S. Army; his parents separated shortly after his birth, and Jacobs moved to Italy with his mother before he was even a month old, growing up in Desenzano del Garda without contact with his father for many years. Jacobs began his athletics career as a long jumper before switching to sprinting following a series of injuries in 2018, developing into one of the most surprising sprint champions in recent Olympic history. Jacobs delivered a stunning upset at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, winning the 100m final in a European record of 9.80 seconds after entering as a relative outsider, becoming the first Italian and first European since 1992 to win the event, and adding gold in the 4x100m relay days later. Jacobs reconnected with his estranged father around the time of his Olympic triumph, describing the reunion as deeply important to him, and has continued to compete at the top level of Italian and world sprinting, holding the Italian records in the 60m and 100m.

Explosive start with strong finishing speed in sprint events

Breaking Italy's sprint barriers and becoming fastest man in the world in 2021

• 2020 Olympic gold 100m
• European champ 100m 2022/2024