Everything you need to know about Jamaican duo Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville as they face Noah Lyles in 100m finals at Paris Olympics 2024

Jamaica has produced some of the world's best sprinters and stands a strong chance for another gold medal in the men's 100m at the Paris Olympics, courtesy of Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville, following Usain Bolt's victory at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Both the sprinters qualified for the finals of the men’s 100m by recording the fastest overall times in the semifinals, with Thompson clocking a 9.80s and Seville running a personal best of 9.81s.

Both the sprinters are set to give the reigning world champion Noah Lyles a formidable challenge in the finals of the men’s 100m, set at 9:50 PM Paris Time/ 3:50 PM Eastern Time. Lyles, who is also vying for an Olympic gold medal in the 100m, was the third fastest overall in the semifinals, recording a 9.83s to secure his position in the finals. Two other American athletes - Fred Kerley and Kenny Bednarek also advanced to the finals by clocking 9.84s and 9.93s respectively.

Kishane Thompson has a personal best of 9.77s in the 100m discipline, which he achieved during the 2024 Jamaican National Olympic Trials to win the event and qualify for the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, Oblique Seville closely followed Thompson in the finals of the trials as he secured his position in the 100m event with a time of 9.82s.

Notably, Seville also defeated Noah Lyles at the 2024 Racers Grand Prix held on June 1, where he registered victory in a time of 9.82s against Lyles’ 9.85s. This makes both Kishane Thompson and Seville strong competitors for the gold medal position at the Paris Olympics who can produce a top victory against Noah Lyles and other American sprinters Kerley and Bednarek.

A look into Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville’s top achievements as they challenge Noah Lyles & co

Noah Lyles of the USA, Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain and Christian Coleman of the USA at the World Championships 2023. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)

One of the biggest achievements of Kishane Thompson was winning the Jamaican National Olympic trials in 2024. Thompson's best performance at a Diamond League event was during the Xiamen Diamond League in 2023, where he placed second in the 100m, running a then-personal best of 9.85s.

On the other hand, Oblique Seville is a World Championships bronze medalist in the men’s 4x100m relay event, contributing to Jamaica's third-place finish by running the second leg in the 2023 edition. He narrowly missed out on two World Athletics Championships bronze medals in the individual 100m event, finishing fourth in the 2022 and 2023 editions.