TOKYO — Oblique Seville has ended Jamaica’s near decade-long wait for a global men’s 100m title, storming to victory in a personal-best 9.77 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
The 23-year-old sprinter delivered the performance of his career, becoming the first Jamaican man since Usain Bolt at the 2016 Rio Olympics to claim gold in the event. His triumph was made even sweeter by countryman Kishane Thompson, who clocked 9.82 seconds to secure silver, repeating his runner-up finish from last year’s Olympic Games. Defending champion Noah Lyles of the United States settled for bronze in 9.89 seconds, a season’s best.
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For Seville, the win was a breakthrough moment after years of near misses. He had finished fourth at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and again in Budapest in 2023. On Sunday, however, he broke through decisively, shaving four-hundredths off his previous best of 9.81 seconds.
His victory also extends the legacy of famed Jamaican coach Glen Mills, who has now guided four different men to world 100m titles: Kim Collins (2003), Usain Bolt (2009, 2013, 2015), Yohan Blake (2011), and now Seville.
Seville’s path to the podium was not without drama. After narrowly advancing from the first round, he showed his true form in the semi-finals, cruising to victory from lane eight and stamping his place among Jamaica’s fastest ever, now ranked just behind Thompson’s 9.75 seconds on the all-time national list.
With the gold, Seville has not only cemented his place in Jamaica’s rich sprinting history but also reignited the country’s dominance in the men’s 100m on the global stage.
