'Stunning': Marcell Jacobs claims gold after 'disaster' in 100m final

Italian Marcell Jacobs has shocked the world after a stunning run saw him claim gold in the men's 100m sprint at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday night.

Jacobs was the first Italian to ever reach the final of the men's 100m and he ran a blistering 9.80 seconds to claim victory in one of the most eagerly anticipated events at the Games.

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American Fred Kerley and Canada's Andre De Grasse won silver and bronze respectively, but there was heartbreak for Great Britain's Zharnell Hughes who was disqualified after a false start.

The Tokyo Olympics are the first since Athens in 2004 to take place without Jamaica's Usain Bolt, winner of eight golds.

Bolt retired after the 2017 world championships in London, after taking three consecutive Olympic 100m titles in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, as well as three straight 200m crowns.

The semi-finals were blown open on Sunday evening in Tokyo when the man many tipped to take Bolt's crown - American Trayvon Bromell - missed out on making the final.

Bromell, who owns the fastest time this year of 9.77sec, the seventh-quickest in history, scraped through in his semi-final but could only muster a 10.0 seconds in the semi-final to bow out of contention.

World stunned by Marcell Jacobs victory

Jacobs put his rivals on notice by breaking the European record in his semi-final but few could have imagined what he would produce in the final.

The Italian's incredible piece of history lit up the internet as fans reacted to the epic victory.

Great Britain's Zharnell Hughes suffered heartbreak after being disqualified from the race for a false start.

Hughes had qualified for the final after winning his semi-final but could only look on in horror as his pre-race gaffe saw his Olympic dreams go up in smoke.

Channel Seven commentator Bruce McAvaney described the moment as a "disaster" for the British runner, who looked absolutely gutted as he made his way off the track.

Jacobs, 26, timed a new European with his 9.80 seconds in the final, with America's Kerley (9.84sec) and Canada's De Grasse (9.89sec) rounding out the podium places.

The athletes were introduced in a dramatic light show - the stadium floodlights were shut off and 12 projectors cast 3D images of the world, zooming in to the Tokyo skyline, and then the name of each sprinter.

The lights came back on, swiftly followed by a horrendous false start for Hughes in lane four, the Anguilla-born Briton not even bothering to question his disqualification.

Dressed in light blue singlet and lycra shorts, the US-born Jacobs, in lane three, made a good start, held his nerve through the drive phase and powered through to the line.

Jacobs joyously ran into the arms of Italian teammate Gianmarco Tamberi, who had just shared gold by winning the men's high jump and was waiting at the finish line.

The race, run in stifling temperatures of 30 degrees, had a distinctly underwhelming build-up and feel to it as hot favourite Bromell bombed out of the semi-finals in which China's Su Bingtian and Jacobs unexpectedly set Asian and European records respectively.

The Tokyo Olympics were the first since Athens in 2004 to take place without Bolt and curiously - for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Games - there was no Jamaican in the final.

Bolt's long-time former teammate Yohan Blake failed to qualify from his semi-final.

with agencies

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