Marcell Jacobs on his way to a 9.95 100m in Savona (© Giancarlo Colombo)
European indoor 60m champion Marcell Jacobs stole the show at the 10th edition of the Memorial Giulio Ottolia in Savona on Thursday (13), breaking the Italian 100m record with 9.95 (1.5m/s) in the heats on the fast blue track of the Fontanassa Sports Centre.
The time improves on Filippo Tortu’s previous national best of 9.99 set in Madrid in 2018 and moves Jacobs to 10th on the European all-time list, with his previous PB being 10.03 set in Padua in 2019. It is also the fifth fastest time in the world so far this year.
Jacobs did not race the final later in the afternoon due to calf cramp. That race was won by 21-year-old Italian sprinter Lorenzo Patta who surprised with a PB of 10.13 (1.4m/s) to edge Yupun Abeykoon of Sri Lanka by 0.02.
"It has not sunk in, what happened," said Jacobs. "After the European Indoor Championships and the World Athletics Relays I knew that I was in very good form. My goal was to break the 10-second barrier and I am happy that I fulfilled it.
"My partner and my children were watching me on television. They are very proud. I worked a lot on my start and I was a bit nervous at the start because I had high expectations. With the extra motivation of a strong rival I think that I can improve my Italian record again. I would have liked to have run the final, but I felt a small cramp during the warm-up."
Asher-Smith opens with 22.56 200m
World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain set a meeting record of 22.56 (0.8m/s) in the women’s 200m in what was her first race over the distance since her triumph in Doha in 2019. Beth Dobbin completed the British one-two, running 23.06 ahead of Italy’s Dalia Kaddari, who improved her PB by 0.02 with 23.21.
"It’s good to be back on track. It has been a year and a half since the World Championships in Qatar and it’s nice to be back over that distance again," said Asher-Smith, who will race the 100m in Gateshead on 23 May.
"I am really excited about my first Diamond League competition of the season in Gateshead. We have not had so many competitions in Great Britain in the past year because of the pandemic."
World bronze medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou made a winning debut to her season in the women’s 100m in a wind-assisted 11.11 (3.4m/s) after clocking 11.17 (2.4m.s) in the heat. Great Britain's Imani Lansiquot finished second with 11.18 ahead of reigning European U20 champion Vittoria Fontana from Italy and Gloria Hooper, who shared the same time of 11.23.
"I am happy that I ran a fast race after some injury problems," said Ta Lou. "It was a good comeback. I will run in Castiglione della Pescaia and Gateshead. I hope to stay healthy and do my best at the Olympic Games."
Luca Kozak from Hungary took the win in the women’s 100m hurdles in a meeting record of 12.81 (1.7m.s), edging three-time Savona meeting winner Luminosa Bogliolo (12.84) and Elisa Maria Di Lazzaro, who smashed the 13-second barrier for the first time in her career with 12.90.
Great Britain's world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi won the men’s 110m hurdles in Savona for the second consecutive year with a wind-assisted 13.42 (2.8m/s).
World indoor U20 record-holder Larissa Iapichino was not able to repeat her magic performance of last year, when she jumped 6.80m, but she also took her second consecutive win in Savona with 6.56m on her second attempt, beating Laura Strati by 4cm on a cool afternoon.
Marileidy Paulino from Dominican Republic won the women’s 400m in a meeting record of 50.71 ahead of Alice Mangione (52.54). Vladimir Aceti from Italy claimed the men’s 400m win in 46.51. Yancarlos Martinez scored the second win of the day for the Dominican Republic in the 200m in 20.57.
Alessandro Sibilio pulled away in the final straight to win the men’s 400m hurdles in a PB of 49.25 ahead Olympic bronze medallist Yasmani Copello (49.37).
Filippo Randazzo from Italy won the men’s long jump for the second consecutive year with 8.05m (0.4m/s) in the first round. Randazzo backed up his winning mark with a second best jump of 8.02m.
Francisco Belo from Portugal, fourth at the European Indoor Championships in Torun in March, won the men’s shot put with 20.67m. Italy’s Zane Weir finished second with 20.05m, beating his training partner Leonardo Fabbri (19.74m).
World silver medallist Amel Tuka from Bosnia launched his kick in the final 200m to win the men’s 800m in 1:47.86.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday night in Italy a world-leading 5000m was run by Kenya's Mark Owon Lomuket. Clocking a PB of 13:01.68, he beat Ethiopia's world silver medallist Selemon Berega (13:02.47) and Uganda's Oscar Chelimo (13:06.79).
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics
