"Noah Lyles and that slow start"; "Let’s get that 9.7 in Paris!" - Fans react to Oblique Seville stunning American in 100m at Racers Grand Prix

Oblique Seville rose to prominence after edging out Noah Lyles in the 100m at the 2024 Racers Grand Prix. His time of 9.82s was also a fraction ahead of Lyles' personal best time. On this extraordinary achievement, fans rallied to bestow good wishes on the 23-year-old.

Seville was part of the bronze medal-winning 4x100m relay team at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where Lyles anchored the US team to the gold podium. The fourth-fastest at the 2020 Jamaican Olympic trials finished fourth at the 2023 Worlds, 0.05s behind Lyles.

The National Stadium at Kingston erupted in applause as Seville clocked a wind-aided 9.82s to defeat a packed field of iconic sprinters, including Lyles, Ferdinand Omanyala, and Zharnel Hughes. Seville's time bested the 100m world-leading time of 9.93s, set by his US counterpart Christian Miller in April.

Travis Miller, the NBC Sports Director of Social Media, posted the stellar run for victory on his X account:

Fans from all over the world also jumped in to laud the newest rival of Noah Lyles. One pointed out Lyles' tendency to start slow and make up the speed towards the end, which cost him the gold this time.

"Lyles and that slow start.. it’s starting to catch up to him."

Another fan hype Seville up to clock 9.7 at the Paris Olympics:

"IKTR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s get that 9.7 in Paris!!!!"

Another impatiently waited for the trials where Seville would have a great shot at making the Olympic team.

"Times are coming down. Trials are gonna be fun."

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

"Turn this up!!! Noah has competition now," a fan commented.

"THANK YOU OBLIQUE for beating that man," another fan tweeted.

"SEVILLE!!!!!!! BIG BBC TIME. PULL IT OUT FOR THE OLYMPICS," one account posted.

---

"I think that Oblique Seville has been keeping it alive" - Usain Bolt on fellow Jamaican keeping the legacy intact

Several race withdrawals stemmed from Oblique Seville's hamstring injury in 2023, which struck him out of the Racers Grand Prix that year. However, he hasn't let the injury impact him and never missed the final roster in any races to date.

Usain Bolt, who holds an unparalleled legacy, was happy to see Jamaican names like Ackeem Blake and Oblique Seville emerge.

"I do think that Oblique has been keeping it alive. “He has made all the finals so far; it is just for him to now get in the top three. And I think it's just consistency...," Bolt said during the Red Stripe’s ‘Guh Fi Gold and Glory’ event launch.

Seville will look to make it to the 100m roster at the Paris Olympics, leaving fans at the edge of their seats while in contention with Noah Lyles.