Former Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs set one of the fastest ever 100m runs with a stunning 9.67 seconds at the Raiffeisen Austrian Open, but due to excessive wind assistance the performance will not be recorded in the official records.The Italian sprinter’s incredible run makes him the second-fastest man in history in all conditions, behind only Jamaican legend Usain Bolt, who has held the world record of 9.58 seconds since 2009. However, Jacobs’ efforts resulted in a tailwind of +4.1 meters per second, well above the legal limit of +2.0m/s for World Athletics records and official rankings.
Wind assist earns Jacobs a place in official history
While Jacobs’ time isn’t an official personal best or record, it still ranks among the most extraordinary wind-assisted performances the sport has ever seen.The 9.67 time surpassed Tyson Gay’s famous wind-assisted time of 9.68 set at the 2008 US Olympic Trials under the same +4.1m/s conditions. Gay participated in the Beijing Olympics as one of the favorites, but was unable to participate in the Olympics due to injury.Jacobs now trails Bolt’s 9.58 and 9.63 in all conditions, underscoring the quality of the run despite the tailwind.Watch Jacobs’ historic performance:
Olympic champion looks forward to new comeback
The performance represented another encouraging milestone in Jacobs’ comeback after a difficult couple of seasons.The 31-year-old shocked the athletics world by winning gold at Tokyo 2021, but suffered a frustrating title defense in Paris. Although he reached the final with a season-best time of 9.92 seconds, cramp forced him out of medal contention.His latest performance has reignited hopes he can challenge the world’s fastest sprinter again ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.“I’m happy because I’m improving every game,” Jacobs said after the game. “Of course it’s very windy here, but only Bolt has been able to beat this one in history and I’m really happy to achieve this result.”Although the record books refused to officially recognize his performance, Jacobs’ run sent a powerful message to the sprinting community.His 9.67 is now the fastest ever in wind-assisted time, ahead of Tyson Gay’s 9.68 in 2008. Other notable wind-assisted results include Obadele Thompson’s 9.69, Andre De Grasse’s 9.69, Asafa Powell’s 9.72 and Kanyinsola Ajayi’s 9.72.
