The Italian athlete Marcell Jacobs, Olympic champion of the 100 meters, was proclaimed world champion in the indoor track of the 60 meters, beating the defending champion, the American Christian Coleman, this Saturday in Belgrade.
Source: AFP
Coleman (6.41), who returns to competition this season after an 18-month suspension for failing to comply with his obligations regarding the location for anti-doping controls, was surpassed in the ‘photo finish’ by Jacobs (6.41). American Marvin Bracy finished third in the final (6.44).
Jacobs was European indoor champion last year in Torun (Poland), four months before his surprising performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where he unexpectedly won gold in the 100m and 4x100m relay.
For Coleman, this loss is painful. The American had been world champion indoors in 2018 and outdoors in 2019.
With his title in Belgrade-2022, Jacobs is confirmed as the current star of speed and as the man to beat in the main athletics event of 2022, the World Championships in Eugene (July 14-25).
“I love these moments, when I win,” celebrated the Italian sprinter.
“They were really great rivals and Coleman is the world record holder, but I trust myself and my potential. I was feeling fit and I felt like it could be time,” he added.
– From war to title –
Beyond that stellar final of the day, the emotional moment of the day was starred by the Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who was proclaimed indoor world champion in the high jump.
The young athlete, 20 years old, who had to leave her country in very difficult conditions and travel for three days to reach Belgrade, thus wins her first major international title, although she had already stood on the podium at the Tokyo-2020 Games (3rd ) and in the Doha-2019 Outdoor World Cup (2nd).
With a jump of 2.02 m, she surpassed the Australian Eleanor Patterson (2.00 m) and the Kazakh Nadezhda Dubovitskaya (1.98 m), who completed the podium.
As soon as she became champion, Mahuchikh surrounded herself with a flag of her country to the applause of the Serbian public.
“Before I hit the track, my spirit was completely focused on Ukraine due to the terrible events that are happening. This medal is above all for my country, for my people, for my army. I am very proud that I was able to represent them,” said Mahuchikh, one of six members of the Ukraine team, whose country was invaded by Russia at the end of February.
– Gold medals for Brazil and Spain –
Among the surprises of the day was the success of Brazilian Darlan Romani in the shot put, defeating American Ryan Crouser.
Romani (30 years old) achieved the greatest success of his career reaching 22.53 meters, thus surpassing Crouser, world record holder, who this time stayed at 22.44 meters. The bronze went to New Zealander Tomas Walsh (22.31m).
This is the first defeat in two years for Crouser, double Olympic champion (Rio-2016 and Tokyo-2020), who also holds the world records in the open air (23.37 m) and on the indoor track (22.82 m ).
Darlan Romani, Pan American champion in 2019, had so far achieved his main metals in continental competitions.
In the previous Indoor World Championship, in Birmingham-2018, Romani had finished in fourth position, a position that he also held in the Doha-2019 Outdoor World Championship and in the Tokyo-2020 Olympic Games, played in 2021.
In the 800 meters, the Spanish Mariano García was proclaimed champion with a time of 1:46.20, ahead of the Kenyan Noah Kibet (1:46.35), silver, and the American Bryce Hoppel (1:46.51), bronze.
The other world titles decided this Saturday were for the American Sandi Morris (pole vault), the Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo (400 m), the Trinidadian Jereem Richards (400 m), the Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay (1,500 m), the French Cyrena Samba-Mayela (60 m hurdles) and the Canadian Damian Warner (heptathlon).
