Oblique Seville Dethrones Noah Lyles, Claims 100m World Title in Tokyo

TOKYO -- Move over, Noah Lyles. There's a new fastest man on the planet; his name is Oblique Seville.

The 24-year-old Jamaican powered over the top of Lyles and highly fancied compatriot Kishane Thompson in the men's 100m world championship final on Sunday evening in Tokyo, posting a personal best 9.77s to, at long last, capture his first major gold medal. It went exactly as predicted by athletics great and fellow countryman Usain Bolt, who enthusiastically cheered him on from the grandstands of the Japan National Stadium.

"It's a pleasure to have Usain watching me," said Seville, immediately after the biggest win of his life. "We're the next generation."

Seville has long been one of the world's top sprinters but has often let nerves get the better of him in major races, notably last year's Olympic final in which he finished dead last despite having looked the class of the field through the semifinals.

That worrying trend very nearly continued in Japan when Seville almost missed out on a semifinal berth after appearing to be glued to the starting blocks in his heat run. He was able to turn last spot into third place by the finish line to advance, before taking out his semifinal earlier on Sunday evening in a time of 9.86s, then dipping into uncharted territory in an enthralling medal race to vanquish all of those demons from the past.

Seville's triumph gives Jamaica its first gold medal in a 100m major race since Bolt's 2016 Olympic title.

Thompson claimed silver with a run of 9.82s, ahead of Olympic champion Lyles. The American showman ran a season-best time of 9.89s but just didn't have enough to fight for the top step of the podium after having endured an injury interrupted season and only beginning preparations for these championships two months ago.

The women's 100m final was won by American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in a world championship record time of 10.61s, also the fourth-fastest in history. The third place finisher in the Olympic final last year drove through the highly credentialed field over the first 30m and extended her advantage all the way to the line, beating out Jamaica's Tina Clayton (10.76s) and Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred (10.84s), who was unable to back up that triumph in Paris 12 months ago.

Editor's Picks

• 

  Everything you need to know about the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo

  8hESPN

• 

  How much for winning gold? Prize money revealed for 2025 World Athletics Championships

  2dJake Michaels

Australia's emerging sprint star Torrie Lewis -- who on night one of the championships shaved 0.02s off her own Australian record in the 100m with a 11.08s -- missed out on a place in the medal race, finishing fifth with a time of 11.14s in her semifinal.

Also on night two, Jess Hull secured her passage to the final of the women's 1500m. The Olympic silver medalist finished 0.01s adrift of Kenya's Nelly Chepchirchir in a tardy second semifinal that saw pushing and shoving, and a fall. The first semifinal was taken out by Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, the winner of the last three women's Olympic 1500m titles and the favourite for gold in Tuesday evening's final.

Reece Holder also put in an impressive showing on the track on night two, progressing to the semifinals of the men's 400m. The 23-year-old Australian led his heat for 380 metres before being overtaken in the dying stages by American Christopher Bailey. However, his time of 44.45s -- just 0.01s shy of his personal best -- was good enough to advance.

The morning session was highlighted by a dramatic finish in the women's marathon. Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir won the event in a time of 2:24:43, just two seconds ahead of Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa. Vanessa Wilson was the best of the Australian contingent, finishing 38th. The men's marathon will be staged at 7:30am local time on Monday morning in what's expected to be equally challenging hot and humid conditions.

Other gold medal winners on the second night of competition in Tokyo included American pair Valarie Allman and Tara Davis-Woodhall in the women's discus and long jump, respectively, as well as France's Jimmy Gressier, who prevailed by 0.06s in a remarkable men's 10000m final.

Here's how day two at the World Athletics Championships unfolded: