When you win Olympic gold in the 100 meters and the World Indoor Championships in 60 meters, you can easily call yourself the world's fastest man. And for the first time since Usain Bolt set a track record of 100 meters with 9.79, the Oslo Bislett Games can bid on the reigning Olympic champion at the distance.
The 27-year-old Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs had a sensational Olympics in Tokyo. The winning time of 9.80 was also a new European record and the 11th fastest time on the distance ever, and as if that were not enough, he also ran the second stage of the Italian team in the 4x100 meter relay, which secured an equally surprising Olympic gold in advance,
As a curiosity, it can be mentioned that Italy by virtue of Pietro Menneas 19.72 on the double distance has both the European records at sprint distances.
This winter, Jacobs followed up by winning the 60-meter Indoor World Cup title with 6.41 in Belgrade - the fourth fastest time ever, and he is also the reigning European indoor champion at the same distance from 2021.
It will go fast at Bislett on June 16, and it is clearly a moment of excitement if Jacobs can get down to Bolt's track record.
The starting list also includes strong competitors such as South African Akani Simbine, who was number six in the world list last year with 9.84 and Benjamin Azamati from Ghana who has run at 9.90 this year.
