Tokyo’s biggest race delivered an upset with Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs becoming the first man other than Usain Bolt to win Olympic sprint gold since Athens in 2004.
The 26-year-old Jacobs won in a time of 9.80 seconds from fancied stars American Fred Kerley (9.84) and Canadian Andre De Grasse, who won a second Olympic bronze in 9.89.
Lamont Marcell Jacobs finishes first in the men’s 100m final. Credit: AP
Jacobs’ gold came just minutes after countryman Gianmarco Tamberi won shared gold in the high jump, with the pair hugging after Jacobs crossed the line.
The Italian’s win was an upset but Australian sprinter Rohan Browning was just left upset after his slow start cost him a place in the final.
In a dramatic final, Briton Zharnel Hughes false-started and was disqualified and Nigerian Enoch Adegoke did a hamstring and pulled up mid-race.
A Belarusian sprinter said she was taken to the airport against her wishes on Sunday to board a flight back home after she complained about national coaches at the Tokyo Olympics.
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was due to compete in the women’s 200 metres on Monday, told Reuters she did not plan to return to her home country. She said she had sought the protection of Japanese police at Tokyo’s Haneda airport so she would not have to board the flight.
“I will not return to Belarus,” she told Reuters in a message over Telegram.
The Belarusian Olympic Committee said in a statement that coaches had decided to withdraw Tsimanouskaya from the Games on doctors’ advice about her “emotional, psychological state”.
The Belarusian Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
A Reuters photographer witnessed the athlete standing next to Japanese police. “I think I am safe,” she said. “I am with the police.”
A police officer at Haneda airport said they were with a female Olympic athlete from Belarus at Terminal 3.
A source at the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, which supports athletes jailed or sidelined for their political views, said Tsimanouskaya planned to request asylum in Germany or Austria on Monday.
Australia’s Mariafe Artacho de Solar and Taliqua Clancy have shaken off a solid challenge from China to win in straight sets and reach the women’s beach volleyball quarter-finals.
The Australians will meet either world champions Canada or Spain after beating Xue Chen and Wang Xinxin 22-10 21-13 in 41 minutes.
Mariafe Artacho del Solar #1 and Taliqua Clancy #2 of Team Australia react after they defeated Team China.Credit: Getty Images
But the round-of-16 contest was closer than it looked, with China pushing the 2019 world championship bronze medallists in the opening set.
After Australia broke out to a 4-1 lead, China rallied and kept pace.
The Australians fell behind 15-13 and then 16-14, before blunting the Chinese and pulling ahead.
After saving two set points, Australia secured their first and the momentum was with them.
They broke out to a 20-10 lead and while China saved three match points, the threat was over.
Canadian world champions Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes will play Spain’s Liliana Fernandez and Elsa Baquerizo on Monday morning, with the winner to meet Australia the following day.
The Canadians beat Artacho de Solar and Clancy to win gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Australia have not been on the Olympic podium in women’s beach volleyball since Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst won gold at the Sydney Games.
AAP
What a night for Italy ...
By Eryk Bagshaw
The Italian journalists in the stadium are going nuts. They are completely shocked. Gianmarco Tamberi has shared a gold medal in the high jump and Lamont Marcell Jacobs has won gold in the 100m sprint.
“We win bronze, sometimes silver, but never gold,” said reporter Luca Lovelli as he whipped out his Italian flag and keeled over. “We just had two gold in 10 minutes.”
In the stands the officials and other athletes are singing the unofficial Italian football anthem to the tune of Seven Nation Army. “Po po po po po po po!”
This much excitement in a stadium for 65,000 filled with maybe 500 people. It would have been a hell of a party. No doubt Rome and Milan are about to get theirs started.
Jacobs and Tamberi embrace.Credit: Getty Images
On the podium: Athletics
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We have a new 100m gold medal winner
No Usain Bolt. No worries. A great race in the men’s 100 metres final, and it was won by Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs in a bit of a boilover in 9.80 seconds. Forza.
Fred Kerley of the US came second and Andrew de Grasse of Canada came third for the second Olympics in a row.
Every man in this final had a personal best of at least 9.91. One, Zharnel Hughes, false-started and was disqualified.
Marcell Lamont Jacobs wins the 100m sprint. Credit: Getty Images
False start in the 100m final
Huge drama. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes is disqualified. He went 0.150 of a second too quickly out of the blocks.
That is absolutely gutting.
Shared gold in high jump, men’s 100m about to start
Mutaz Barshin and Gianmarco Tamberi, of Qatar and Italy respectively, have decided to share the high jump gold medal.
They both jumped 2.37 but could not clear 2.39, which would have been an Olympic record.
We thought they were going to jump off for the gold. They chose not too, and to be honest I did not realise that was an option.
Belarus’ Maksim Nedasekau won bronze and Brandon Starc of Australia came fifth.
And now, attention turns to the men’s 100m final. It begins in five minutes.
