Jamaica's Oblique Seville: Usain Bolt's worthy sprint heir

Sprinters are born, not made. The phrase fits perfectly for Oblique Seville, the reigning 100m World Champion whose journey began long before he knew what a stopwatch was. As a kid in kindergarten, Seville would outrun older boys with a kind of effortless rhythm that hinted something special was brewing in the Jamaican soil again.

When he lined up for the 100m final at the World Championships in Tokyo last August, Seville didn’t look like a man trying to win. He looked like a man who already had. Facing the heavyweights, his compatriot and Kishane Thompson and the then-reigning World Champion Noah Lyles, Seville’s confidence was almost casual. In his head, the race was already his to lose.

That self-belief came despite finishing third in the preliminary heats. But 9.77 seconds later, Seville stunned the world as he blazed past Lyles and Thompson in the final stretch to take gold, clocking a personal best and sealing one of the most memorable Jamaican wins in years. The moment ended with a roar and a shirt-tearing celebration and was a signal to the world that the next generation had truly arrived.

The result fulfilled a prophecy of sorts as Seville’s idol, Usain Bolt, had predicted a Jamaican one-two before the event. Coincidentally, the legend was right there in the stands, quietly watching the rise of his successor.

“I had no idea that Bolt was in the stands watching the race,” Seville tells DH over a video call from Kingston. “I was lost in celebrations after the race and then had other formalities to do right after. I learnt about it later, made me feel even more proud and honoured that we could treat him with such a result.”

Was there pressure, though, knowing Bolt had publicly declared a Jamaican sweep? Seville laughs it off.

“Nah, running is no pressure for me. It was an honour that he thought we can be the top two but for me I was there to win the race, I came into the race as not the favourite too according to many but none of it was getting to me,” says Seville, speaking from his home while enjoying a well-earned off-season.

The one-two finish was more than just a race result; it was a revival. It marked the first time Jamaican men had finished top two in the 100m at a World Championship and the country’s first gold in the event in a decade. It also snapped an eight-year drought of podium finishes for Jamaica’s male sprinters. 

That gap defined the post-Bolt era. After the legend’s retirement, the Americans took charge, sweeping podiums and titles, including a clean sweep in Oregon in 2023. For perspective, Jamaica won 25 golds across five Worlds during the Bolt years, 11 of them courtesy of the man himself. Since 2019, the tally dropped to just nine, with Seville’s Tokyo gold standing tall as the only one in men’s sprints. 

Women's sprint took the centre stage with now-retired Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Shericka Jackson winning medals galore, including a one-two finish at 2022 Oregon. For men, however, that dip was expected given Bolt’s unparalleled dominance. But does that mean Jamaica’s golden era is over? Seville doesn’t think so.

“Track and field in Jamaica is like how cricket is in India,” he says. “There is talent in abundance in Jamaica for track and field as we keep on producing talent. After Bolt, the new generation took time to get on their feet but there's no need to push the panic button just because we won one gold in Tokyo.”

On Indian sprinters

Seville admits his cricket knowledge is “very limited,” but he laughs that his late father Gerald was a huge fan of the game. Still, the Jamaican star has a fair idea about India’s athletics scene. During his training days under legendary coach Glen Mills — the same mentor who moulded Bolt — Seville got the chance to train alongside a few Indian sprinters who had flown to Kingston for specialised sessions.

While Seville was among the rare few to dip under 10 seconds before turning 21, India is still chasing that milestone. The current national record, 10.18 seconds, belongs to Animesh Kujur, set earlier this year. Yet, Seville has nothing but admiration for the Indian athletes he’s seen.

“I have trained with Indian runners in the past. I can’t recollect their names but I was impressed by their discipline (likes of Amiya Mullick, Srabani Nanda, Nisar Ahmed have trained in Jamaica in the past). They would listen and follow what the coach would say. We Jamaicans sometime ignore our coaches’ advices and do what we like,” he says with a laugh.

But can an Indian sprinter finally breach that magical sub-10 barrier soon? Seville believes it’s only a matter of time.

“I don’t see any reason why they can’t. I had to wait a long time for my first sub-10 race and I outdid myself at that time (ran 9.84). For India, all it will take is for someone to do it first time and the rest of the pack will follow. That’s how it happened for us,” he concludes.