TOKYO – Another step forward of the blue speed. With the time of 37.95 seconds the Italian relay men qualify for the final of the 4×100 and marks the new Italian record (the previous one was 38.11, set at the Doha World Cup in 2019). In lane five, our changes were excellent Lorenzo Patta (started from the blocks), the Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, Eseosa Desalu e Filippo Tortu, who ran the last leg. Disastrous the team United States: despite having in the team Bromell, Kerley, Baker and Gillespie, they do not go beyond the sixth place and are eliminated.
The first came in the blues’ battery China (37.92) then the Canada (same time 37.92) and Italy, dragged by Jacobs and Tortu who in the last stretch managed to keep up with the Chinese and Canadians who lined up Andrè De Grasse, new winner of the 200 meters and second in the 100 dominated by blue Jacobs.
“We knew we had time in our legs to go to the final”, comments Tortu. “It was like doing the 400 meters, because the heat made everything very tiring. We made very careful passing of the baton, because we wanted to get to the finish line.” Jacobs also notes the heat factor: “I was not at my best, but I will recover for tomorrow. I gave the 100% medal to the Americans, I was surprised by their elimination”. Does running with the Olympic champion make the baton lighter or heavier? To the question posed to the blues in the mixed zone, Tortu replies: “Having Jacobs in the team is an extra stimulus and makes you feel calmer. But the witness weighs the same.”
Qualified for tomorrow’s final: Jamaica, Great Britain, China, Japan, Italy, Canada, Germany and Ghana. The race is at 15.50 Italian time.
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