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‘Something amazing’ - Seville basks in 100m glory; Thompson, Clayton cop silver on Day 2 of World Champs
September 15, 2025
TOKYO, Japan:
Oblique Seville led a Jamaican triple medal treat by winning the gold medal in the men's 100 metres final in a personal beat 9.77 seconds on Day Two of the Tokyo World Athletics Championships at the Japan National Stadium yesterday.
Jamaica claimed the top two positions in the event, as heavily favoured Kishane Thompson took second in 9.82 seconds.
They finished ahead of dethroned champion, Noah Lyles of the United States (US), who was third in 9.89.
In an intense seven minutes at the Japan National Stadium, Jamaican fans at home, in Tokyo and those all across the world were thrown into a frenzy after witnessing the men's final, and the preceding women's final in which Tina Clayton stormed to a second-place finish to earn her first senior global title.
Clayton ran a personal best 10.76 seconds to finish behind the favourite, American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who clocked 10.61 seconds. St Lucia's Julien Alfred was third in 10.84 seconds, marginally claiming the bronze medal ahead of Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, who clocked 10.88.
Speaking after his triumph, Seville praised Thompson and Lyles for pushing him to run a personal best.
Both Jamaicans got a good start, but Seville ran an evenly-paced and composed race, piqued with good top-end speed as he raced past Thompson in the last 10 metres, with the latter losing ground while reaching for the finish.
"Put some respect pon mi name!" shouted Seville. "It was a good run today because these two athletes pushed me to run a personal best and to come out here and run 9.77 is something amazing," he said.
"In Japan is actually where I had my debut and to actually start over again in Japan and to actually get a medal is something great for me," he noted.
Chief among the Jamaican supporters in the stands was retired sprint icon and 100m world record holder Usain Bolt, who had predicted a 1-2 finish for Jamaica ahead of the championships.
Jamaica became the third country to achieve a 1-2 finish in the World Championships' men's 100m final, following the US and Canada.
CLAYTON SILVER
Clayton, already a champion at the World Juniors, transitioned her success almost immediately on the senior stage with a powerful and determined run in the women's 100 metres final.
Jamaica's track and field great, five-time World Championship 100-metre champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also ran in the final. She placed sixth in 11.03 seconds, while the US' Sha'Carri Richardson, who had won the previous women's World Championship title, was fifth in 10.94.
"My main focus was to execute," Clayton said. "If I'm being honest, a silver medal wasn't in my thoughts, but I did, so I'm really grateful."
Jamaica was well represented across the Day Two.
In the men's and women's 400m heats, Jamaica qualified six of their seven athletes to the semi-finals.
On the men's side, Rusheen McDonald, with a season best 44.38 qualified as the fifth fastest, Delano Kennedy (22nd overall), with a personal best 44.74, and Bovel McPherson, with a personal best 44.51 (11th overall), all booked their spots to the next round from their individual heats.
World champion Antonio Watson (46.23), however, failed to advance after fading to eighth in his heat.
SMOOTH SAILING
In the women's event it was smooth sailing as Nickisha Pryce qualified as the sixth fastest in 49.91, Stacey-Ann Williams qualified as the third fastest in a personal best 49.59, and Dejanea Oakley was 23rd overall in 51.07.
In the women's sprint hurdles, all three Jamaican representatives advanced to the semi-finals.
In the absence of national champion Megan Tapper, who withdrew from the competition through injury, reigning World champion Danielle Williams led the Jamaicans through qualification as she advanced with the fastest time of 12.40. Ackera Nugent, 12.54, and Amoi Brown, 12.82, were also comfortable in qualifying.
In the men's high jump qualification, Romaine Beckford sneaked into the final with his best effort of 2.25 metres, while Raymond Richards failed to advance with a best effort of 2.16m.
Samantha Hall made history as she became the first Jamaican woman to compete in the final of the women's discus throw. She would place 12th overall, with a distance of 60.69m.
