Noah Lyles fails to break targeted record as he succumbs to Oblique Seville's perfection in Kingston

Noah Lyles and Oblique Seville

Noah Lyles fails to break targeted record as he succumbs to Oblique Seville's perfection in Kingston

Funmilayo Fameso 13:05 - 02.06.2024

Noah Lyles fell short on his promise as Oblique Seville blazed to a world-leading time at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston.

World 100m champion Noah Lyles failed to deliver on his promise of breaking Yohan Blake's Jamaican stadium record of 9.75s set in 2012, as he succumbed to Oblique Seville's supremacy at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston.

Seville ran a well-executed race with a perfect start and held on to the finish line to stop the clock in a new Personal Best (PB), Meeting Record (MR), and world-leading time of 9.82s.

His time is the fastest time by a Jamaican man since Usain Bolt ran 9.81s to win the 100m final at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and the youngster has now become one of the favourites for a medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

Oblique Seville - Credit: @GettyImages

For Lyles, the vocal American speedster who was making his season's debut settled for the second position in 9.85s - his second-fastest career time, behind his world championships title-winning PB of 9.83s.

Despite the loss, the six-time world champion said he was happy with the execution of his race and having his fastest season opener, but was irked by the unprofessionalism of the gunmen who blew the gun when half of the athletes on the starting line were not set to go.

Noah Lyles // @WorldAthletics

“I was satisfied with the performance but disappointed in the gunmen…I mean, none of us, half of us were not even set before the gun went off and that’s very disappointing to see but overall the race was great.

“I came out here and ran exactly what I thought I was going to run, anywhere faster than 9.88, and today wasn’t what the win was,” he said.

Lyles will be heading to the US Olympic trials with so much confidence as he believes he's on track to have a memorable season and achieve his goals of sprint double titles in Paris.

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