Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs clocks 9.92 to mark his fastest 100m time since 2021, winning in Finland

By Nick McCarvel
2 min|
Marcell Jacobs has his fastest time since Tokyo 2020
Picture by 2024 Getty Images

The reigning Olympic 100m champion has sounded the warning alarm from Turku, Finland.

Italy's Marcell Jacobs sped to a 9.92 on Tuesday (18 June) at the Paavo Nuri Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour stop, winning the men's 100m in what is his fastest time in competition since his gold-medal effort at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.

Jacobs broke the 10-second barrier for the first time this season in the semi-finals with a 9.99, then shaved off 0.07 seconds in the final, where training partner and Olympic champ in the 200m Andre De Grasse was third (10.00).

Jacobs' Italian teammate Chituru Ali ran a personal best 9.96 to claim second.

It's been a steady build for Jacobs this season in his favourite event, debuting with a 10.11 in April. He won the European Athletics Championships title on 8 June in front of home fans in Rome, clocking a 10.02 in the final.

Jacobs was a surprise winner in Tokyo, his 9.80 claiming gold there. He clocked a 9.95 to win Europeans in 2022, but the 9.92 was his fastest since that victory at the Games.

Neeraj Chopra claims win in javelin

Another Olympic champion was in action on the field as India's Neeraj Chopra scored a victory, too, winning the men's javelin on his third attempt with a throw of 85.97m (282 feet).

Finland's Toni Keränen was second with a 84.19m (272 feet 2 inches).

Rio 2016 silver medallist in the 100m hurdles and 2019 world champion Nia Ali of the U.S. won, clocking a 12.48 in the final to edge out Nadine Visser at 12.51. Reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn stopped mid-race in the opening round after hitting a hurdle.

Reigning world champion Nina Kennedy of Australia claimed the women's pole vault in a season's best 4.8m (15 feet 6 inches).