Marcell Jacobs celebrates his 60m title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 (© Getty Images)
It has been a long jump in every respect for Marcell Jacobs since he last competed in a major championship on the boards in Belgrade.
Back then, in the mists of 2017, the Texas-born Italian was an also-jumped in his first love in track and field, failing to qualify for the long jump final at the European Indoor Championships.
Five years on, at the climax of the evening programme on day two of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, Jacobs was celebrating a place in the history books as the first reigning Olympic 100m champion to claim the world indoor 60m crown.
The 27-year-old did it in dramatic style, drawing on all of the strength, speed endurance, and killer long jumper’s stride that took him to surprise Olympic gold in Tokyo in 9.80 to catch the US pair Christian Coleman and Marvin Bracy and snatch victory on the dip by the slenderest of margins in a European record of 6.41.
Coleman, the defending champion and world record-holder, must have thought that title he had won in Birmingham four years ago was still in his possession until he saw Jacobs flash up on his outside with the line in sight.
Both men were timed at 6.41, a world lead, and the margin was a mere 0.003 – 6.407 to 6.410, with Bracy taking bronze in 6.44, a lifetime best.
“This is fantastic: to be Olympic champion and now world indoor champion,” said Jacobs, whose sprint breakthrough came with 60m victory at the European Indoor Championships in Torun 12 months ago.
“It’s amazing to have the European record. I can’t wait to go to the outdoors with the Americans.
“They are great athletes. We will try to compete fast again outdoors.”
In the disappointment of such a narrow defeat – his first at 60m for six years – Coleman was consoled by projecting forward to the defence of his 100m title on home ground at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
“You want to come out and win,” he said, “but we put on a good show. We’ll be head-to-head outdoors as well.
“He [Jacobs] is a great athlete. I think it’ll be neck and neck, just like today.
“It was a season’s best. I executed a good race. I’m just excited about carrying this momentum to the outdoor season.”
It was the 26-year-old’s first loss at 60m indoors since 12 March 2016, when he finished third behind Ronnie Baker and Cameron Burrell in the NCAA final in Birmingham, Alabama.
For Bracy, it was a second podium finish, the former American football wide receiver having taken silver in 2014.
The 28-year-old had been quickest in the morning heats, clocking a PB of 6.46, but in the semifinals Jacobs was the fastest qualifier, equalling the 6.45 world lead held jointly by Coleman and Bahamian Terrence Jones and improving his own national record.
Behind the clear medal winners in the final, Estonian Karl Erik Bazarov took fourth place in 6.58, with Briton Adam Thomas fifth in 6.60, Trinidad’s Jerod Elcock sixth (6.63), Bolade Ajomale of Canada seventh (6.63) and Ivorian Arthur Cisse eighth (6.69).
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
| MEN'S 60m MEDALLISTS | ||
| 🥇 | Marcell Jacobs 🇮🇹 ITA | 6.41 AR WL |
| 🥈 | Christian Coleman 🇺🇸 USA | 6.41 SB |
| 🥉 | Marvin Bracy 🇺🇸 USA | 6.44 PB |
| Full results | ||
