The rivalry between the US and Jamaica in track and field has been a long-standing battle. This edition of the Olympics, it gained momentum when Oblique Seville leaped to the world lead when he outpaced reigning world champion Noah Lyles with a stunning 9.82-second sprint at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston earlier in June. Now, with Lyles securing his spot for Paris in the 100m at the US trials, attention has shifted to Jamaica, where the 2024 Jamaican Track and Field Olympic Trials are underway.

The Jamaican Olympic trials are held at the same venue where Seville obliterated Lyles in the 100 meters, the American who faced defeat for the first time this season. Despite the stellar performances of Noah Lyles (9.83 sec), Fred Kerley (9.87 sec), and Kenny Bednarek (9.88 sec) in the 100-meter finals at Hayward Field, fans are already trolling the American men for their speeds compared to the Jamaicans, based solely on the preliminary rounds of the Jamaican trials.

The excitement among fans began buzzing after the Track & Field Gazette posted the top qualifiers from the Jamaican trials for the men’s 100m on X:

Looking at the results from the men’s 100m heats at the U.S. trials who qualified for the semi-finals, Noah Lyles led the pack with a strong performance, clocking 9.92 seconds to qualify for the semifinals. He was closely followed by Christian Coleman at 9.99 seconds, Kenny Bednarek at 10.00 seconds, Courtney Lindsey at 10.00 seconds, and Fred Kerley at 10.03 seconds. However, these timings lagged behind their Jamaican counterparts, creating an opportunity for trolling when the Track & Field Gazette posted the top qualifiers from the Jamaican trials.

One cheeky fan couldn’t resist poking fun at Lyles, quipping, “Oblique Seville looking dusty. He worried about Noah Lyles might not even qualify.” But another quickly defended Seville, noting, “All these times are from the top 3 from the first 4 heats, Oblique won his heat literally jogging.”

It seems the Jamaican squad is gearing up for a massive showdown in Paris, with comments like “The Jamaican men are reloading 🔥🔥🔥🔥” and “Do you want it, Noah Lyles? Well, you’re going to have to cut a folded one,” flooding social media, adorned with plenty of Jamaican flag emojis. One fan trolled the American 100-meter champions, declaring, “Jamaica has already outdone the USA in just the heats 😂😂😂🔥🔥🔥”

And one fan aptly teased, “And that’s only the Heats sweetie. Stay tuned.” As we reflect on the brewing rivalry for Team USA, particularly for Noah Lyles, let’s take a look at what he had to say about his competition with Oblique Seville, who holds the fastest time by a Jamaican man since Usain Bolt.

Noah Lyles is ready to outpace Jamaica’s leading man, Oblique Seville

Jaws dropped when Oblique Seville beat Noah Lyles at the Racers Grand Prix, clocking in at a new personal best, meeting record, and world-leading time of 9.82 seconds, while Lyles finished at 9.85 seconds. This was the fastest time recorded by a Jamaican man since 2016 Rio Olympics when Usain Bolt ran 9.81 seconds to win the 100-meter final.

But what captured attention even more was when Oblique Seville crossed the finish line ahead of Noah Lyles and stared him down, igniting the spark of contention. This moment riled the six-time world champion, prompting him to send a message to Seville on his X page: “Oh yah… I’ll remember this! See you in Paris @ObliqueSeville.”

Fast forward to June 23rd, and after his 100-meter victory at the US Olympic trials, Noah Lyles secured his ticket to the Paris Olympics. In an interview with JTG Live, he shared his thoughts on Oblique Seville. Lyles explained that he had anticipated Seville would be well-prepared for their previous race and acknowledged that, although he had been ready, Seville had been even more prepared on that particular day. However, Lyles emphasized,

“But I’ll tell you what, there’s a difference from running in Jamaica to running at an Olympics.” The “3 Peat” star Lyles continued, “I’ve seen how you handle your rounds, I study my competitors, I know where your weakness is, I know what your strengths are, I’ll be ready.”

With the Jamaican trials kicking off on a high note and a likely showdown at the Paris Olympics, who do you think will take home the gold in the men’s 100m? Are you rooting for Noah Lyles or Oblique Seville? Share your thoughts in the comments below!