Beating Usain Bolt’s record has been the dream of most of the athletes. Ever since Bolt’s historic run back in 2009, several athletes have tried to outrun the elusive timing of 9.58s. While many have come close, nobody has yet succeeded in their quest. Meanwhile, a recent track and field star from Jamaica has been steadily climbing the ranks. Oblique Seville has been one of the biggest names emerging in the realm of track and field. 

During his brief track and field stint so far, Seville had beaten some significant big names. Chief among them is the Paris 2024 100m gold medalist, Noah Lyles. Ahead of the Olympics, Seville and Lyles faced off in Kingston. While Lyles walked in as the favorite, it was Seville who had the last laugh. More interestingly, the young sprinter also gave Lyles a stare-down, a trait usually associated with Usain Bolt. Meanwhile, having close ties with the Bolt family, Oblique Seville made an outrageous claim recently. 

The young Jamaican has an impressive 100m personal best of 9.81s. However, in his quest to better the record, Seville has been sweating it out ahead of his 2025 track debut. In a recent video uploaded by Grand Slam Track, Seville was asked if he could sense 9.81s while being in a resting position. As he agreed, the timer kept ticking. Surprisingly, at the 6.55s mark, Seville screamed, “Stop!” This was an outrageous claim as 6.55s not only meant that Seville ran faster than Bolt, but it was also a timing that might not be humanly possible for anybody to run in 100m. 

Realizing his mistake, Seville immediately broke out in laughter. Training alongside him, Zharnel Hughes, too, had a great laugh. Seville corrected himself and clarified that he was not aware of how many seconds had passed. He then claimed that the 6.55s timing would be a good 60m number for him. Now, Seville might not have succeeded in breaking Bolt’s record, but he surely had shown enough promise. 

After all, Oblique Seville shares a close bond with Usain Bolt’s family. Impressed by his antics, the legendary Olympian’s mother heaped praise on the 23-year-old. She addressed him as her second son. Now, that is quite a major compliment to get for a track and field star. And not only Bolt’s mother, but his mother too, had an interesting bit of news to share with Oblique Seville. 

Oblique Seville’s family understood his potential early on

Oblique Seville’s mother, Juliet Seville, was 39 years old when she conceived him. And she immediately knew that Seville was meant to achieve great success. As per the track star’s recollection, his mother once told him an interesting bit of news. “I come from a rural community. A small, small community. And everyone knew that I could run. My mom said that I was running in her belly for some reason. I don’t know. But I am one of the smallest sprinters in the world. If not the smallest. And I’m 5’6. “Very short,” said Seville. 

Coming from a humble background, Oblique Seville’s parents worked very hard to keep the family running smoothly. They also took extra care in ensuring that Seville’s dreams were being aptly fueled. Recalling his childhood days, Juliet Seville told The Weekend Star, “He doesn’t like the limelight so, whenever he comes back home, he would just jump inna mi bed and say, ‘Mommy a mi and yuh a sleep enuh’. As big as him is, a mi baby. Mi feel good. I am a proud mother today. It wasn’t an easy road for me. His father and I worked hard to make ends meet.” 

Well, Oblique Seville did not have a decent outing in Paris. But that surely would not stop him from giving it another go. With time on his side, it remains to be seen how things pan out for him in the future.