Viva Italia! Olympic golds follow soccer and song successes

The first hints that this was Italy’s year came when Italian band Maneskin won the popular Eurovision Song Contest in May

TOKYO -- The first hints that this was Italy’s year came when Italian band Maneskin won the popular Eurovision Song Contest in May. Then came the European Championship soccer title run in June and July. To top it all off, on the first day of August, Marcell Jacobs won the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics to succeed Usain Bolt as The World’s Fastest Man. And who was the first man to embrace Jacobs after he crossed the line in a personal-best 9.8 seconds on Sunday? That would be Gianmarco Tamberi, the Italian high jumper who had just won gold in his event in a tie with Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar.