TOKYO: Unheralded Italian sprinter Lamont Marcell Jacobs stormed to a shock gold in the Olympic 100 metres on Sunday after Caeleb Dressel collected his fifth swimming gold medal of the Games.
Jacobs crossed the line in a European record of 9.80sec at the Olympic Stadium to succeed retired Jamaican legend Usain Bolt as champion of the blue riband event of the athletics programme.
Fred Kerley of the United States took silver in 9.84sec and Canada's Andre de Grasse collected bronze in 9.89sec.
The fastest man in the world this year, American Trayvon Bromell, was eliminated in the semi-finals.
Jacobs had not even broken 10 seconds until this year.
"It was my childhood dream to win an Olympic Games and obviously a dream can turn into something different, but to run this final and win it is a dream come true," the Texas-born Italian said.
Jacobs credited improvements in training, diet and mentality for his progression this season.
"I really work hard with my mind," he told AFP. "Because when I was arriving at the big moment my legs don't work too good. Now my legs go really good when it's a big moment."
