Oggi

Italy Claims Fastest Man in the World

Lamont Marcell Jacobs, a relative unknown—even by his competitors—sprinted to Olympic Gold in the 100meter race in Tokyo last summer. Clocking a personal best time of 9.80 seconds, he surprised the field—and the world—by assuming the title of “World’s Fastest Man.” The title, which had been held for a decade by Usain Bolt, had not been held by a European since Linford Christie of Great Britain won gold in 1992.

Jacobs was born in El Paso, Texas, to an Italian mother and an American father (making him truly Italian American!). His parents had met while his father was stationed in Vincenza (Veneto region) while serving in the United States Army. After his parents separated, his mother took him with her to Italy when he was just six months old. It

Lamont Marcell Jacobs: (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP) was there, in the town of Desenzano del Garda (Lombardy region), that Jacobs grew up.

Upon winning gold, Jacobs expressed humility, especially knowing that his name would be new to many people. “Hey, here I am,” he said, smiling.

In addition to winning the 100-meter race, Jacobs was also a part of Italy’s 4 x 100-meter relay team that also won gold at the Summer Olympics.

Italian Brothers Set Record for Largest Cherry

Alberto and Giuseppe Rosso, brothers in a family that has grown cherries for more than a century, recently recorded the largest cherry ever grown, weighing 1.16 ounces. The cherry was grown in Pecetto Torinese, a town known for cherry-farming that is situated just outside Torino (Piedmont region). This breaks the record that was set last February by a farmer from Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna region). Italy is one of the main cherry producers in the European Union and often is the leading producer, accounting for more than 100,000 tons of cherries annually. Most of the cherrygrowing occurs in the Puglia region followed by the regions of Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, and Lazio.