The 2024 European six-day Track and Field Championships ended in Rome on June 12, and unlike some former years, there were many high-level actions throughout. The continent sent its A-listers, and their performances were superb, a peek into what to expect in Paris.
Let’s look at Italy whose Olympic men’s 100m defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs. The powerful sprinter went into Tokyo 2020/21 under the radar and won the title in 9.80 (0.1ms) personal best over a talented field that included USA’s Fred Kerley; Commonwealth champion, South Africa’s Akani Simbine; Rio’s bronze medalist, Canada’s Andre DeGrasse; and Asian record holder, China’s Su Bingtian.
Jacobs’ winning time was a far cry from the times fans had gotten accustomed to from Usain Bolt, et al before him.
Subsequently, he was dogged with injuries that forced him to withdraw from races he was billed to run. That occurrence led to negative comments, questions of suspicion, and ridicule about his talent, all of which pushed him to ask the public for empathy.
Yet Jacobs managed to focus on his land and relocated from Italy to Florida to train with American coach Rana Reider.
Jacobs ran his way to the final in Rome and took the title in 10.02 ahead of his compatriot Chituru Ali in 10.05. Some may scuff at his time, but he’s the Euro champ as he was the Olympic champ three years ago, except that this time many were waiting to see what he would deliver.
That was only a precursor to an even more impressive run the following week at the Paavo Nurmi Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in Turku, Finland, where he ran his heat in 9.99 and delivered his fastest performance since the Olympics, 9.92secs (1.5m/s) in the final.
If the powerful sprinter remains healthy, he should be a force in Paris.
Italy also sent top high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi who rewrote the Championship record with 2.37 meters, the same height he cleared to share the gold medal with his friend, Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim. After each missed three times at 2.39m, they decided against a jump-off for the title.
Far from not being satisfied with two big performances, Italy struck again in the relays. With a blazing start by Matteo Melluzzo, Jacobs used his usual backstretch power and speed to open the lead.
Tokyo Olympics anchorman Filioop Tortu went into beast mode after taking the baton from Lorenzo Patta and streaked home in 37.82, a European leading time. While they might not have four sub-10 men, their chemistry and slick passes got the baton to the anchor ahead of the field. They will march into Paris as defending champions on a mission.
And then there was Germany’s Malaika Mihambo who produced a stunning world lead of 7.22 meters to take women’s long jump gold. It was the third European title for Mihambo, the reigning Olympic champion, who was returning from injury.
Hers was a continuation of remarkable jumps after Spain’s Jordan Alejandro Diaz Fortun leaped to the third longest mark in history of 18.18 meters in the men’s triple jump the day before. Portugal’s Pichardo also jumped over 18 meters for triple jump silver.
In the men’s long jump, Greece’s World and Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentaglou leaped to a Championships 8.65 meters record in the fifth and sixth rounds. He is known for snatching victory on the final jump when silver seems to be the medal he would win.
France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela made a big statement in the sprint hurdles as she zipped over the obstacles away from the rest of the field to register 12.31secs, a Championships record. She defeated Switzerland’s rising star Ditaji Kambunji in 12.40.
As expected, World champion 400m hurdlers Karsten Warholm of Norway and Femke Bol of the Netherlands dominated their rivals in the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles finals, respectively, setting championship records. Warholm posted 46.98secs and Bol, 52.49.
Bol’s time took down American world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 52.70 world lead.
And here comes another threat: Poland’s quarter-miler Natalia Kaczmare upset the world’s apple cart with a 48.98 shocker that erased her compatriot Irena Szewinska’s national record of 49.28, set in 1976. It was the fastest time by a European this century. Suddenly, Kaczmarek entered the discussion about top female 400-meter runners globally. Results