His medal success and championship performances might have predominantly come as a long jumper but Lamont Marcell Jacobs put down an impressive statement for his ability as a sprinter at home in Italy on Tuesday (16) night.
Jacobs, 24, ran the 100m race of his life as he lowered his personal best from 10.08 from 10.03 to beat a top field at the 33rd edition of the Meeting Citta di Padova, a European Athletics Outdoor Classic Permit Meeting.
The Italian moved to third in this summer’s European list as he beat Japan’s Yuki Koike (10.11), Great Britain’s Adam Gemili (10.12) and Mario Burke from Barbados (10.18). He also moved to third on the Italian all-time list behind Filippo Tortu (9.99) and Pietro Mennea (10.01).
In 2016 he won gold in the long jump at the Mediterranean U23 Championships and in the same year made the final of the event at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, finishing in 11th.
But his display in Padua hinted where his future might lie at this summer’s IAAF World Championships in Doha. He was also part of the Italian team who clocked 38.29 at the IAAF World Relays in Yokohama in May.
On the in-field Mariya Lasitskene achieved another victory on the way to Doha, although she was not as emphatic as normal.
The two-time world high jump champion won with 1.94m - clearing at the first attempt like she did at 1.85m and 1.90m - before three failures at 2.00m as she beat Ukraine’s Iryna Gerashchenko, second with 1.90m.
In the women’s 100m, Slovenia’s Maja Mihalinec ran a personal best of 11.27 as she finished second to Jamaica’s multiple Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who won in 11.00.
And as Kenya’s Eunice Sum won the 800m in 2:00.99, Ukraine’s Olha Lyakhova took second in 2:01.16 with Latvian Liga Velvere third in 2:01.68.
Lemaitre getting back to form after injury
Christophe Lemaitre had a busy night at the Meeting International de Sotteville, a European Athletics Outdoor Classic Permit Meeting, in France on Tuesday.
The former two-time European 100m champion was fourth in that event in 10.28 as the Ivory Coast’s Gue Arthur Cisse won in 10.13.
But in the longer sprint – which brought him bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 – Lemaitre celebrated victory, winning in the 200m in 20.46. Not too far behind him was 17-year-old Sasha Zhoya who was fourth in a French U18 record of 20.91.
In the women's 100m, it was a memorable evening for Israel’s Diana Vaisman as she lowered the 100m national record of 11.35 by finishing fourth in 11.29 as South African Carina Horn won in 11.14.
Melina Robert-Michon, France’s veteran Olympic discus silver medallist, was third in 62.41m as Yaime Perez set a world-leading mark of 69.39m from fellow Cuban Denia Caballero (69.08m).
Elsewhere, Great Britain’s Laviai Nielsen had a fine 400m victory as she won in 51.71 from American Shakima Wimbley (51.84). Bulgaria’s Tihomir Ivanov took the high jump with 2.23m and Poland’s Olympic finalist Maria Andrejczyk won the javelin with 61.78m.