Oblique Seville Defeats Defending World Champion Noah Lyles In The 100M

After placing last in the Paris Olympic final, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville finally broke through his championship curse and soared to a first-place finish. Seville ran 9.77 for a new personal best and became the first Jamaican man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to win the 100-meter dash world title.

Seville is known for having excellent regular-season races and running masterful rounds in major championships. Last year in Paris, Seville ran a textbook race against Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the semi-final. This year, Seville beat Lyles at the Lausanne Diamond League. The newly crowned world champion produced six sub-9.90 performances this season, establishing his regular-season dominance.

During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun. So much so, his competitors were already two steps ahead before he took off. He managed to qualify for the semi-final even though his mistake almost cost him his chance at victory.

Seville was fourth at the Eugene and Budapest world championships. After three championships of failing to secure a medal, Seville ran straight to a victory that he and Jamaican fans will remember forever.

“Over the years, I have shown my talent and shown my class that I’m a medal contender,” said world champion Seville. “Last year I came eighth and now to win the gold medal is something special for me.”

Seville’s win spoiled what could have been a new record for most consecutive men’s 100-meter dash world titles held by a single country if Lyles successfully defended his crown. The USA and Jamaica are tied for three in a row.

Sixth-fastest man of all time, Kishane Thompson helped solidify Jamaica’s 1-2 sweep in Tokyo, running 9.82 for silver. Thompson was a major favorite for gold this morning. The Olympic silver medalist ran 9.75 to put his name in the history books just three months ago.

Up until today, Thompson has been undefeated in the 100-meter dash this season. The Olympic silver medalist ran textbook races all season with little to no critiques on form and competitive nature. Although silver is not what he hoped for, Thompson was glad to share the top two spots on the podium with his countryman.

“I’m not really concerned about the time; it was more of the execution,” Thompson said. “Nevertheless, I finished injury-free, I got a medal, I’m grateful.”

Lyles rounded out the podium and ran a season’s best of 9.89 for bronze. The Olympic champion discussed some unwanted setbacks related to injury throughout the season, but he did not let that deter him from aiming for gold. Lyles had one of his best starts of the season in the 100-meter final, but it wasn’t enough to get the jump on Seville and Thompson.

As Lyles started to activate his signature top-end speed, his Jamaican competitors continued to pull away ahead of him. Although bronze is not what he hoped for, Lyles successfully added another medal to his impressive resume.

Lyles took to X to express his thoughts and good spirits.

The greatest sprinter of all time and world record holder, Bolt, did several interviews leading into the championships, discussing his thoughts on the men’s sprints. Bolt was confident in Jamaica’s chances to go 1-2 in the final. The legend was accurate with his prediction.

“There’s no reason they shouldn’t be 1-2 because they’re the top fastest times in the world this year,” Bolt said. “It’s just about going out there and executing… I’m very confident they can get it done.”

Seville and Thompson will likely meet Lyles again on the 4×100-meter relay. Before that, the 200-meter dash American record holder will attempt to earn his fourth consecutive 200-meter dash world title. If Lyles gets the job done, he will tie Bolt’s record for most consecutive 200-meter dash titles.

Kenny Bednarek was first off the podium in Tokyo; however, this is an upgrade from the Olympic final, where he finished seventh. Like Lyles, the 100-meter dash is Bednarek’s secondary event. He has two Olympic silver medals in the 200-meter dash and has made every championship podium since the Tokyo Olympics.

Bednarek will be looking for a gold medal when he races the 200-meter dash. He’s been able to defeat Lyles twice, both on the Olympic stage, but he has yet to beat him in a world championship final. He will have a ton of fuel from his fourth-place finish and his loss at the U.S. Championships to push him to a medal upgrade.

Outside of Seville, Thompson, Lyles, and Bednarek keeping the Jamaica versus USA rivalry alive, the most notable observation of the race is that 50% of the finalists were from African nations, a strong feat for an event typically dominated by the aforementioned countries. Two men represented South Africa: Gift Leotlela and Akani Simbine, then Kayinsola Ajayi and Letsile Tebogo represented Nigeria and Botswana, respectively.

Ajayi is the first collegiate athlete since Christian Coleman in 2017 to make the men’s 100-meter final. He’s also the first Nigerian man to make the final in 18 years. The University of Auburn athlete ran a 9.88 personal best to qualify for the semi-finals. From there, he placed in the top two in the semi-final to automatically earn a spot in the final. He then ran 10.00 in the final for a solid sixth-place finish.

Leotlela and Simbine placed fifth and seventh to show South Africa’s sprint dominance. They ran 9.95 and 10.04, respectively.

Absent from the final results is Olympic champion Tebogo. Unfortunately, Botswana’s sprint star was disqualified for a false start. He will fight for redemption in the 200-meter dash against his strongest competitors, Lyles and Bednarek.

Tomorrow’s action begins at 5:35 AM EST on CNBC and Peacock with the men’s 400-meter hurdle prelims. The World Athletics website has live results and a full schedule for fans to keep up with.