Usain Bolt celebrated, a new era for Jamaican men's sprinting was heralded, Oblique the newly crowned world 100m champion, after winning gold in Tokyo.
He became the first Jamaican man to win a global 100m title since his nation's icon last did so in Rio nine years ago, having just missed out on the world podium two years ago when he matched silver medallist Letsile Tebogo's time, but a photo finish ruled him to be four thousandths of a second short of the podium. "It is just a tremendous feeling to compete in front of Usain here in Tokyo," he said.
Seville (24) has long been forced to shoulder the weight of expectation which has accompanied Jamaica's wait for Bolt's successor. "Between his (Bolt’s) coach is mine (coach) I know they both are very proud of me – with them saying that I am going to be the world champion,” he said.
"Now I’ve proved that I am a champion, and I am very proud of that. I have proved that I am a true competitor, that I have the determination of a champion.”
"To win this gold medal is something special to me.” Kishane Thompson, the fastest man in the world this year, made it a Jamaican one-two, with defending world champion, Noah Lyles, taking the bronze medal.
Under the guidance of Bolt's former coach, Glen Mills, Seville will hope this is just the start - as will his nation, with its sprinting prowess revived. In the women’s event, however, the United States’ Melissa Jefferson-Wooden celebrate her country’s dominance by taking a very much convincing gold there, whilst Tina Clayton also grabbed silver.
24-year-old Jefferson-Wooden sealed gold in the final in emphatic fashion, proving a class above her rivals in a championship record 10.61 seconds, with St Lucia's historic Olympic champion Julien Alfred claiming bronze. The world champion ran the fastest three times of 2025 and remained unbeaten over the distance.
"Today was all about me, about trusting my abilities, my coach, the line I have been given, and my faith,” she said’
“And just trusting that I was prepared for this moment." The world champion reached the pinnacle seven years after she put her sporting ambitions on hold to save her dad's life, stepping forward as a stem cell donor when he was diagnosed with a rare blood condition in 2018.
The final was also a “good-bye”, as another Jamaican sprint legend - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — brought an end to an illustrious career which has made her the most decorated female 100-meter sprinter in history, though she plans to run on a relay toward the end of the nine-day meet.
The sprint"queen" finished only sixth in the 100 final, but it didn’t seem to matter that much. “As a competitor that isn’t how I wanted it to go,” she said. “But on the bright side, I made the finals.”
Not bad for a 38-year-old sprinter who said that 18 years ago she didn’t think she “measured up” with other members of the team. And, for her, with this likely to be her last international meet, it was poignant that it should happen in in Tokyo – her first-ever outing for her country was also in the Japanese capital.
