After his fifth-place finish in the finals at the Paris Olympics in 2024, many questioned whether Marcell Jacobs could ever return to his Olympic champion-level calibre. Two years later, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist has surpassed his best version by becoming the second-fastest man ever under all conditions.

On July 1, at the Austrian Open in Eisenstadt, the 31-year-old Italian ran 9.67 seconds in the men’s 100m final. He did not get the cleanest start and was briefly behind Britain’s Romell Glave and South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk. But once he hit top speed, Jacobs powered through the field and won by about a metre. Glave finished second in 9.76, while Van Niekerk took third in 9.83.

Back in 2021, Jacobs shocked everyone by winning the Olympic 100m title in 9.80 seconds. Interestingly, his 9.67s win came with a strong +4.1 m/s tailwind, which is above the legal limit of +2.0 m/s, so the time will not count for official records. Still, the performance was too fast to ignore.

On the all conditions list, Jacobs now sits second, a spot that was earlier held by American Tyson Gay’s 9.68, which stood untouched for nearly 18 years. Only Usain Bolt is ahead of him now. Bolt’s 9.58 world record from Berlin in 2009, along with his 9.63 at the London Olympics, still sit above everything else in sprint history.

But if you only look at wind-legal races, the picture is different. The fastest after Bolt remain Tyson Gay’s 9.69 and Yohan Blake’s 9.69. And Jacobs? Well, Jacobs’ official best is still 9.80 from his Tokyo Olympic gold-winning run, which puts him much lower on that list at 16.

But still, it seems Jacobs is very much satisfied with his run. After the race, he said, “I’m very happy because I’m improving with every race. Of course, it was very windy here, but only Bolt in history has managed to beat this time, and I’m really happy to have achieved such a time.” But for an athlete who has faced so many setbacks, this meant a lot.

Marcell Jacobs went from Olympic champion to fighting for comeback speed

After winning Olympic gold in Tokyo and helping Italy take the 4×100m relay title, Marcell Jacobs was suddenly at the top of the sprinting world. Many people thought he was going to take the lead post the Usain Bolt era. But things turned around fast.

2022 started on a good note! Jacobs set a European record of 6.41 to win the World 60m title in Belgrade. Then, however, the outdoor season started, and injuries continued to derail things. He was again and again interrupted by recurring muscle problems, particularly in his legs. The 2022 World Championships in Eugene proved worse.

He managed to make the semi-finals, but withdrew due to injury concerns before the final run. In 2023, the struggle continued. Jacobs himself admitted how difficult it had been, saying he had faced “too many injuries” and dealt with “a lot of doubts, I have had a lot of worries.”

Looking for a reset, he ended his long coaching partnership with Paolo Camossi in late 2023 and moved to  Florida to train under Rana Reider. The idea was simple: a new environment and fewer setbacks. In 2024, there were finally some signs of life! At the Paavo Nurmi Games, he ran 9.99 in the heats and 9.92 in the final, his fastest times since Tokyo.

But then at the Paris Olympics, Jacobs reached the final and finished fifth in 9.85. Hence missed another medal. Then in 2025, the pattern continued. He qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo, but didn’t make the finals, running 10.20 in the heats and 10.16 in the semifinal.

But after everything that has happened, this recent 9.67 feels like a turning point. Not because it’s all back to normal, but because it proves the speed didn’t go anywhere.