By Mitch Phillips TOKYO (Reuters) – Oblique Seville scorched to the world 100 metres gold in a personal best 9.77 seconds on Sunday, leading a Jamaican 1-2 ahead of Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson, second again in 9.82. Defending champion Noah Lyles took bronze in a season’s best 9.89 as the United States failed to […]
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Athletics-Seville delivers in style for world 100 metres gold
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By Mitch Phillips
TOKYO (Reuters) – Oblique Seville scorched to the world 100 metres gold in a personal best 9.77 seconds on Sunday, leading a Jamaican 1-2 ahead of Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson, second again in 9.82.
Defending champion Noah Lyles took bronze in a season’s best 9.89 as the United States failed to take the title for the first time since 2015 when Usain Bolt won the last of his titles.
The sport’s biggest superstar was in the stands in Tokyo – the first time since he retired in 2017 – to roar home his compatriots, though he had predicted a Thompson victory earlier in the day.
Seville had looked the man to beat through the rounds in last year’s Olympics but finished last in the final. This year he almost had a disaster in the heats, recovering from a dire start, but was back to full sharpness in the semis on a humid Sunday evening.
He got another flier in the final and had clear air around him when he crossed the line.
Thompson, beaten by five thousandths of a second by Lyles in the Olympic final, had to settle for silver again, having come to Tokyo with the fastest time by anyone for 10 years – 9.75.
Seville’s 9.77 takes him into a share of 10th on the all-time list.
“It’s an excellent feeling,” he said. “The last time a Jamaican got a world gold was in 2016 (Rio Olympics) and that was Usain Bolt so I am really happy knowing that I actually got the gold medal and I have proved myself that I am a true competitor and I showed my resilience and my fight and determination.
“It is a tremendous feeling. I know my talent and trust in myself. Last year I was injured for the final so this time I’ve proved myself.
“Everyone was saying in the first round that I am panicking, but I know what I am going through in that moment and I just brushed it aside and proved to myself that I am the champion. I think I have mastered the mental part.
“Finishing strong in the last 30 metres had been a problem during the season but now I have perfected it and I was confident that if I could do it in the final, I would win. Doing it in front of Usain is a tremendous feeling.”
Lyles, who had a delayed start to the season through injury, also had a decent start by his standards but, unlike in so many of his big wins, the world and Olympic champion was unable to make up the ground in the final metres. He looked happy with his medal though and will go again in the 200, seeking a remarkable fourth successive world gold in the event.
“You always want the gold but it’s been a crazy season, injury, rushing my season to try and get as many races as possible in,” he said. “I think we did the best we truly could have ever done. I came out here, I got my best start, I got my best race of the year. I’m never going to be disappointed in that.”
His U.S. teammate Kenny Bednarek, who crossed the line smiling after dead-heating in 9.85 with Thompson in the semis, cut a very different figure after the final. He has three global silvers to his name and was desperate to upgrade having arrived in Tokyo ranked second, but had to settle for fourth in 9.92.
Letsile Tebogo, Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion and 100m silver medallist in the world 100m two years ago, false-started and was disqualified in the final.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, additonal reporting by Kim Chang-Ran, editing by Clare Fallon)