PARIS, France — Oblique Seville expressed satisfaction after his performance in the men’s 100m heats at the Stade de France, running 9.99 seconds to win heat four.
Competing from lane six, Seville finished ahead of Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, who clocked 10.02 seconds, pushing Seville to a slightly faster effort.
This race marked Seville’s first competitive appearance since finishing second to Kishane Thompson at the JAAA/PUMA National Senior and Junior Championships in Kingston. “It’s good to be back running nine seconds again, and it’s a good feeling for me,” said Seville, the only member of Jamaica’s 100m trio to speak with journalists post-race.
A minor injury
Reflecting on the challenges he faced, Seville noted that his last competition was at the Jamaican Trials, where he picked up a minor injury. “I wanted to be on the Diamond League circuit and some of the Continental tours, but it is just unfortunate that I picked up a little niggle at the Jamaica Championship,” he explained.
Seville acknowledged that his start was not ideal and that he would need to improve it in the upcoming semi-finals on Sunday. “I don’t know what to say about my start, but I have to get it together in the semi-finals. I know for sure that I will be able to get it right. I know what happened at the start, but it’s just personal. My execution was good because I actually kept my composure and pulled through.”
Despite the layoff, Seville remained confident, having competed against world leader Kishane Thompson earlier in the season. As he looks ahead to the semi-finals, the 23-year-old is focused on refining his start and executing a strong race.
