Oblique Seville delivered a career-defining performance on Sunday night, storming to Jamaica’s first men’s world 100m title in a decade with a breathtaking 9.77 seconds in Tokyo.
His personal best effort held off compatriot Kishane Thompson, who clocked 9.82 seconds for silver, while defending champion Noah Lyles of the United States settled for bronze at 9.89 seconds.
For Jamaica, the victory carried symbolic weight. It marked the nation’s first world sprint crown since the legendary Usain Bolt captured the 100m and 200m double in Beijing back in 2015. Bolt, now retired but ever-present in the sport, watched from the stands and loudly cheered as Seville and Thompson surged past the finish line. The 11-time world champion had predicted a Jamaican 1-2 and was proven right.
The moment was celebratory both on and off the track. Bob Marley’s iconic “Buffalo Soldier” rang out across the stadium as jubilant Jamaican fans waved flags in delight. Seville, basking in the glory, tore down the top half of his sprint suit in trademark celebration as the crowd erupted.
While the men’s final showcased Jamaica’s return to sprint dominance, the women’s 100m final belonged to America’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. The 24-year-old produced a lightning start and never looked back, crossing the line in 10.61 seconds, a new championship record and the joint third-fastest time ever recorded in women’s sprinting.
Jamaica’s rising star Tina Clayton, only 20 years old, claimed silver with a personal best of 10.76 seconds. Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia took bronze in 10.84 seconds after a sluggish start left her playing catch-up.
The race also marked a poignant farewell for Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The 38-year-old, who dyed her hair in the green, yellow, and black of the national flag for her final individual world final, finished sixth. Although she couldn’t keep pace with the new generation, her legacy as a five-time world champion remains untouched.
For Jefferson-Wooden, the triumph represented redemption. At last year’s Olympics, she finished a distant third behind Alfred. This time, she reversed the script, exploding out of the blocks while Alfred faltered. Tina Clayton, the two-time U20 world champion, was the only one to mount a serious challenge, but Jefferson-Wooden was unrelenting as she seized her moment of glory.
Defending champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who had barely squeezed into the final as one of the fastest losers, could not find her best form. The American sprint star was never in contention and crossed the line in fifth place. Alfred, meanwhile, showed visible frustration after the race, leaving the track with her national flag draped over her shoulders.
The Tokyo finals underscored both a changing of the guard and the continuation of sprinting legacies: Jamaica celebrated a new hero in Seville while the USA heralded Jefferson-Wooden’s arrival at the top of women’s sprinting.
What You Should Know
Oblique Seville ended Jamaica’s 10-year wait for a men’s world 100m gold, clocking 9.77 seconds ahead of Kishane Thompson and Noah Lyles.
In the women’s race, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stormed to victory in 10.61 seconds, with Tina Clayton second and Julien Alfred third, as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce bowed out of her final major individual race.
