Marcell Jacobs on course for 100m European three-peat in Birmingham, United Kingdom; joins Borzov and Christie in rare three-peat

2026 European Athletics Championships: Marcell Jacobs on course for 100m European three-peat, Great Britain get three men in final

Jacobs will face competition from Great Britain trio of Jeremiah Azu, Romell Glave and Louie Hinchliffe, who will have the home crowd firmly behind them in Tuesday night’s final.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs is one race away from history.

The Italian eased into Tuesday evening’s (11 August) men’s 100m final at the 2026 European Athletics championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom, keeping alive his hope of becoming only the third man to win three European titles in the event.

The 31-year-old Italian delivered a controlled performance to win his semi-final heat in 10.08s to secure his place in the final.

Jacobs is already a two-time continental champion, having won the title at Munich 2022 and successfully defended it on home soil two years later.

Victory in Birmingham will put the Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) Olympic 100m champion in an exclusive company, alongside USSR’s Valeriy Borzov and Great Britain’s Linford Christie , the only two men to have previously achieved this feat.

Standing in his way is the Great Britain trio of Jeremiah Azu , Romell Glave and Louie Hinchliffe , who will have the home crowd firmly behind them.

Azu and Glave are no strangers to the European podium.

Azu won bronze behind Jacobs in 2022, while Glave, who comfortably won his semi-final in 10.13s, repeated the feat two years later in Rome.

U.S-based Hinchliffe, meanwhile, brings a different kind of pedigree to the 100m final line up.

Coached by nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis, the 24-year-old showed at the Paris 2024 Olympics that he has temperament for the big stage after reaching the semi-finals.

Jacob’s countryman, Chituru Ali , silver medallist on home soil in 2024, Elvis Afrifa (Netherlands), Germany’s Owen Ansah and Simon Verherstraeten (Belgium) complete the 100m final line up.

The men’s 100m final is scheduled for 21:47 British Summer Time (BST).

Athletics | European Championships | Birmingham | United Kingdom