Former Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs clocked one of the fastest 100 meters ever recorded, clocking an incredible 9.67 seconds at the Raiffeisen Austrian Open, but the remarkable performance will not be recognized in the official record books due to excessive wind aid.The Italian sprinter’s powerful run makes him the second-fastest man in history in all conditions, trailing only Jamaican legend Usain Bolt, whose world record of 9.58 seconds has stood since 2009. However, Jacobs’ effort came against a tailwind of +4.1 meters per second, well above the World Athletics legal limit of +2.0 m/s for records and official rankings.
The aid of the wind denies Jacobs a place in official history
While Jacobs’ time won’t count as an official personal best or record, it still ranks among the most extraordinary wind-assisted performances the sport has ever witnessed.The 9.67 surpassed Tyson Gay’s famous wind-assisted 9.68 recorded at the 2008 US Olympic Trials under identical +4.1 m/s conditions. Gay entered the Beijing Olympics as one of the favorites before injury derailed his campaign.In all conditions, Jacobs now trails only Bolt’s 9.58 and 9.63 results, highlighting the quality of the ride despite the favorable wind.Watch Jacobs’ historic ride:
The Olympic champion is eyeing another comeback
The performance represents another encouraging milestone in Jacobs’ comeback after a couple of difficult seasons.The 31-year-old stunned the athletics world by winning Olympic gold in Tokyo 2021 but endured a frustrating title defense at the Paris Olympics. Although he reached the final with a season’s best result of 9.92 seconds, cramps put him out of contention for a medal.His latest display has rekindled hopes that he can again challenge the world’s fastest sprinters ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.I’m very happy because I’m improving with every race, said Jacobs after the race. “Of course, it was very windy here, but only Bolt in history managed to win this time, and I’m really happy to achieve such a time.”Despite the record books refusing to officially recognize the performance, Jacobs’ race sent a powerful message to the world of sprinting.Among wind-aided performances, his 9.67 now stands as the fastest ever, ahead of Tyson Gay’s 9.68 in 2008. Other notable wind-aided marks include Obadele Thompson’s 9.69, Andre De Grasse’s 9.69, Asafa Powell’s 9.72 and Kanyinsol Ajayi’s 9.72.
