MIAMI – Reigning Olympic 100-metre champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs was only too pleased to be back competing as he posted 10.11 seconds to finish second in the East Coast Relays on April 27.
In his first race in nearly eight months, the Italian clocked the same time as the winner, Canada’s Andre de Grasse, the Olympic 200m champion.
American Trayvon Bromell, a two-time 100m world championship bronze medallist was third, in 10.14sec. China’s Xie Zhenye was fourth with the same time.
The finishing order was confirmed when organisers of the meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, issued revised times for de Grasse and Bromell. Initial times had put Bromell in first place.
Jacobs, a surprise winner of the Tokyo Olympic gold in 2021, wrote on Instagram: “It feels great to be back competing. I admit I was a bit tense and had many unknowns, but it was a great race.
“I never tapered for this race; it was part of the training week, and that counts even more!”
Tapering refers to the gradual reduction of training load in order to optimise performance during competitions.
Jacobs’ last race took place at the Zagreb meeting in Croatia on Sept 10, 2023 and he is eyeing the Olympics’ entry standard of 10.0sec. He won in Tokyo with 9.80sec.
The 29-year-old is coached by American Rana Reider in Jacksonville along with training partners de Grasse, Bromell and Japanese sprinter Abdul Hakim Sani Brown.
But he said earlier that he will return to Italy in May and will be based in Rieti, north of Rome, as he gears up for Olympic qualification.
Once back in Europe, he will take part in a series of meetings, including in Ostrava on May 28 and either the Oslo or Stockholm Diamond League events (on May 30 and June 2), ahead of June’s European championships in Rome.
Jacobs also won gold in the 4x100m relay in Tokyo and after those surprise wins, he was crowned world 60m champion and 100m European champion in 2022.
However, he has struggled with a series of muscle problems and flopped at the 2023 world championships in Budapest, where he was eliminated in the 100m semi-finals.
Meanwhile, American John Reniewicki broke a 40-year-old meet record in the men’s 1,500m and Britain’s Cindy Sember captured the women’s 100m hurdles on April 27 at the Drake Relays.
Reniewicki won in 3min 36.44sec to snap the old mark of 3:38.27 set in 1984 by American Steve Scott at the annual athletics classic in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Breaking a record that old at a meet this historic just makes it so much more fun,” said the 28-year-old, who beat compatriot Vince Ciattei by 0.13sec.
Sember took the 100m hurdles in 12.59sec with Jamaica’s Demisha Roswell second in 12.68sec in an early tune-up for the Paris Olympics. AFP
