Jacobs, who in addition to winning the individual 100m men’s race was part of Italy’s winning 4x100m relay team, touched down at Rome’s Fiumicino airport on Monday evening, where he was welcomed by family, friends and dozens of cheering fans.
“I would never have imagined such an amazing Olympics even in my dreams,” Jacobs told reporters, after hugging his loved ones.
“He left as a young guy, full of hope, and he has returned as a man,” Jacobs’ mother Viviana told Italian daily La Repubblica.
Earlier on Monday, Jacobs received a standing ovation before departing from Tokyo airport, the day after he represented Italy as the flag bearer in the Games’ closing ceremony.
Also on the 13-hour flight from Japan were other Italian athletes along with Giovanni Malagò, the president of the Italian Olympic Committe (CONI).
Jacobs, 26, lives in Rome with his partner Nicole and their two young children.
He will be back on the road in a week, when he travels to the US for a Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon, for his first 100m as “the man to beat”.
