Seville crestfallen after injury in 100m final

PARIS, France

A crestfallen Oblique Seville lamented the flare-up of his groin injury at the worst possible time, which halted his charge for his first major global individual medal.

Seville finished eighth in 9.91 seconds in a final that saw all competitors clocked under 10.00 seconds. Reigning World champion Noah Lyles captured the Olympic title in 9.79 in a photo finish ahead of Seville’s national teammate, Kishane Thompson. The top two were separated by four-thousandths of a second.

Seville won his semi-final over Lyles, which set up a much-anticipated clash. However, he was snake-bitten by an injury - for which he had previously got treatmeny - in the final 20 metres.

“My thought process was that I was very confident (ahead of the race) knowing that I could medal. But unfortunately, the same injury that I went to Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt (German sports physician) for is the same one that came up (in the race),” Seville said in an interview with Televison Jamaica after the race. “So I don’t know what to say because I know that I could have done better. It just came at the wrong time.”

Though disappointed, Seville was full of praise for his teammate, who ended Jamaica’s eight-year medal drought in the men’s 100m.

“I have to give thanks to Kishane. He has done it because the last time Jamaica got a medal in the event (at the Olympics) was 2016, and it was Usain Bolt,” Seville said. “So it is a pleasure, and Jamaica should accept that Kishane has brought us back on the podium. So I am very happy for him, knowing that another Jamaican got the podium again.”

With the injuries concern mounting ahead of the 4x100m relay, Seville said that he would have to be assessed before any decision is made on his availability.