Noah Lyles and Oblique Seville to Clash in the 100m Semifinals on Sunday
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American sprinter Noah Lyles and Jamaican Oblique Seville are set to face off for the first time since June on Sunday, with both athletes vying for a spot in the 100m finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics in France.
Prior to the Olympic Games, Lyles and Seville last competed against each other at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston. Lyles, who is the reigning 100m world champion, finished second with a time of 9.85 seconds behind Seville who won with a time of 9.82s.
The time was not only a new personal best for Seville but also the then-world-leading time before Kishane Thompson’s 9.77s win at Jamaica’s Olympic trials. On Saturday morning, both sprinters competed in separate heats and finished in qualifying times for the upcoming semi-finals.
Lyles, 27, finished heat 3 in second place with a time of 10.04s, while Seville, 23, won heat 4 in 9.99s. Lyles and Seville are now scheduled to face off in semifinal 1 tomorrow morning ahead of the finals in the afternoon.
After losing to Seville in June, Nyles expressed that he would remember the loss.
“Oh yah… I’ll remember this! See you in Paris @ObliqueSeville,” Lyles wrote on Twitter/X, sharing a photo of Seville looking back at him before he crossed the finish line.
Following the announcement, Jamaicans have been expressing excitement for the match, which will serve as the first major face-off between America and Jamaica on the track in Paris before the finals.
View some of the reactions below.
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