Seville Outpaces Lyles and Thompson in Historic Sprint Final
Oblique Seville is the newest man to wear the crown of world sprinting supremacy, pushing past Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson to claim the men’s 100m title in Tokyo.
At just 24 years old, the Jamaican delivered a blistering personal best of 9.77 seconds on Sunday evening inside the Japan National Stadium, winning his first global gold.
From the stands, Usain Bolt loudly celebrated as his earlier prediction about Seville’s success came true.
For years, Seville has been ranked among the sport’s elite sprinters, though big-stage nerves frequently disrupted his medal chances.
During the Olympic final last year, he looked strong in the rounds yet shockingly ended at the bottom of the standings when it mattered most.
In Tokyo, that same shaky start nearly resurfaced when he almost failed to advance from his opening heat.
Despite being stuck in the blocks early, he recovered from last place to snatch third and progress to the semifinals.
Earlier on Sunday, his semifinal run produced a time of 9.86 seconds and set the stage for his career-defining final.
The championship race then saw him surge to victory, finally overcoming the doubts and disappointments that had lingered.
Jamaica now celebrates its first major men’s 100m gold medal since Bolt’s triumph at the 2016 Olympics.
Silver went to Kishane Thompson, who crossed the line in 9.82 seconds.
Meanwhile, Noah Lyles clocked a season-best 9.89 seconds for third after a disrupted year of injuries and a late restart to training only two months before the meet.
Attention also turned to the women’s 100m final, where American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stormed to victory.
Her winning mark of 10.61 seconds set a new world championship record and stands as the fourth-fastest performance in history.
Through the opening 30 metres, Jefferson-Wooden gained control of the race and then widened the gap until the finish.
Tina Clayton secured second for Jamaica in 10.76 seconds.
Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, the Olympic champion from last year, had to settle for third place at 10.84 seconds.
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